Latest news with #MrsvonderLeyen
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ursula von der Leyen was wrong to conceal vaccine texts to Pfizer boss, court rules
The European Commission was wrong to conceal messages between Ursula von der Leyen and the boss of Pfizer during negotiations over coronavirus vaccines, an EU court has found. The EU body had refused to hand over the private correspondence between its president and Albert Bourla ahead of a multibillion-euro deal to procure jabs from the firm. Judges at the European Court of Justice's General Court backed a legal challenge against the decision to withhold the contents of the messages. Announcing its decision, the Luxembourg-based court said the Commission had 'not given a plausible explanation to justify the non-possession of the requested documents'. 'Moreover, the commission has not sufficiently clarified whether the requested text messages were deleted and, if so, whether the deletion was done deliberately or automatically or whether the president's mobile phone had been replaced in the meantime,' it added. Journalists from The New York Times had asked the court to force the release of the conversations between Commission president Mrs von der Leyen and Pfizer's Mr Bourla from 2021. Details of their exchanges could open up details of how costly their deal to procure millions of vaccines at breakneck speed was for European taxpayers. The scandal, dubbed 'Deletegate', had already opened up scrutiny over how the EU's most senior officials are allowed to conduct business in private. The private exchange between Mrs von der Leyen and Mr Bourla came at a time when the EU was scrambling for much-needed doses of coronavirus vaccines, with AstraZeneca struggling to fulfil its promised orders. The EU chief eventually agreed to buy as many as 1.8 billion shots between 2021 and 2023 doses from Pfizer, in a deal The New York Times reported at the time had been negotiated by text. Wednesday's ruling will serve as an embarrassing reminder for Mrs von der Leyen, who has always billed herself as an honest broker and business-like professional to lead the Commission. While the ruling can be appealed, it is likely going to open a fresh can of worms over how text messages are treated in freedom of information cases in the future. The Commission had never argued that the text messages had not existed, but argued that they were not deemed important for records to be properly kept. The EU's executive branch had previously claimed that the messages had been deleted because of their 'short-lived, ephemeral nature'. Transparency and anti-corruption campaigners said the ruling should prompt a significant reform to the Commission's freedom of information policies. 'Today's decision is a victory for transparency and accountability in the European Union, and it sends a powerful message that ephemeral communications are not beyond the reach of public scrutiny,' Nicole Taylor, of The New York Times, said. In response to the ruling, the Commission said it would study the ruling and decide 'on next steps', which could include an appeal at the ECJ. 'Transparency has always been of paramount importance for the Commission and President von der Leyen,' it said. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Von der Leyen cools on EU army as Trump fuels demand
Ursula von der Leyen has distanced herself from her past support for an EU army, despite Donald Trump fuelling demands for the creation of a joint European fighting force. European governments are scrambling to boost their collective defence amid concerns over deteriorating relations with the Trump administration, as well as fears US troops will pull out of Europe and weaken Nato. These concerns would have been only exacerbated by Volodymyr Zelensky's disastrous Oval Office meeting with Mr Trump on Friday, which descended into a shouting match. The crisis has boosted calls to ensure Europe can act independently of Washington, and raised the long-distant prospect of an army coming a step closer. In 2015, the European Commission President who was then Germany's defence minister, said: 'Our future as Europeans will one day be a European army.' Mrs von der Leyen's officials played down those comments this week when The Telegraph asked if she thought that day was getting nearer. 'The president has always been very clear on the fact that troops and their organisation are absolutely the responsibility of the member states,' a commission spokesperson said. European leaders faced with Trump's insistence they will police the peace in Ukraine have been shocked into action by the combination of an unreliable US and aggressive Russia. On Monday, Jose Manuel Albares, Spain's foreign minister, urged plans for a joint rapid reaction force, potentially including commandos, to be accelerated. He said the 5,000 soldier-strong group 'could be the embryo, even, of a European army that we have often talked about' before EU leaders meet for an emergency summit on defence on March 6. . 'I really believe that the time has come that the armed forces of Europe must be created,' Mr Zelensky said at the Munich Security Conference in February2025. 'Let's be honest, now we can't rule out that America might say 'no' to Europe on issues that might threaten it.' On Sunday, Friedrich Merz, Germany's new Chancellor in waiting, said Europe had to make itself independent from the US and warned Nato could be dead by June. He told reporters: 'It is five minutes to midnight for Europe,' days after suggesting Germany could ask for the shelter of Britain and France's nuclear deterrent. It was an astonishing intervention from an election winner on the night of his victory who was, until recently, one of Germany's most nakedly pro-US politicians. Mr Merz's opinion matters. The leader of the conservative CDU, which is also Mrs von der Leyen's party, should soon take the reins of Europe's largest economy. His comments will have come as music to the ears of Emmanuel Macron, the French president, who may be enjoying his 'I told you so' moment. He has urged his allies to do more on common defence since Mr Trump's first term. Back in 2018, Mr Macron declared that Europe could not be protected without 'a true European army'. Jean-Claude Juncker, Mrs von der Leyen's predecessor as commission president, called for an EU army in 2015. Mr Macron eventually extracted some reluctant words of support from Angela Merkel, then German chancellor, but little progress was made. The UK, still an EU member, would have opposed any concrete plans on the grounds they risked undermining Nato. Mr Macron now hopes the Paris-Berlin engine of EU policymaking can finally deliver the 'strategic autonomy' he wants. The European army has long been a niche obsession of fearful Brexiteers and enthusiastic arch-federalists. Could its moment have finally arrived? The idea of a supranational European military force has periodically raised its head since the European Defence Community was discussed in the 1950s. France vetoed plans that could have led to a joint armed force among the six original member states in 1954, amid sovereignty fears. Since then, the pre-eminence of Nato as Europe's security guarantor kept the idea largely on the shelf. The EU has had multinational battle groups of 1,500 personnel each since 2007 but these have never been deployed. 'First there has to be political will,' one EU diplomat said. 'No leader wants to send troops to die under an EU flag,' After the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Mr Macron and Mrs von der Leyen pushed for the creation of the joint rapid reaction force. The idea was this 5,000-strong unit would mean the EU would never again be solely dependent on the US in the crisis zones of the future. It is hoped the force would be able to be used to enforce ceasefire zones, secure airlifts, safely evacuate EU nationals and provide emergency humanitarian assistance. The scheme is supported by France and Germany on the basis of a 'coalition of willing', as long as no EU governments object, and is also supported by Italy and Spain, which backed an even larger formation of up to 50,000 troops. The hope is that the force, backed up a headquarters with 350 staff members, could be ready to deploy anywhere in the world in 2025. 'We are never going to get a European Union army, we may have a European Nato force, but it'll be extremely difficult,' said Edward Lucas, senior fellow and senior adviser at the Centre for European Policy Analysis All Nato members were hugely dependent on American equipment and resources, for example in mid-air refuelling. Command and control in Nato was done by the Americans and that would have to be rebuilt by the Europeans if the Americans pulled out after 80 years of protecting the continent after the Second World War. 'Britain could probably command a division. We can't field one, and most European countries could struggle to put a brigade in the field,' Mr Lucas said. He added, 'I think we're in a post-Nato era and we're reaping the harvest of our three decades of eating the peace dividend.' Given such challenges, not to mention the constitutional neutrality of EU member such as like Austria and Ireland, Brussels is now focusing on ramping up the defence industry and finding ways to boost spending. The EU as a whole spends about 1.8 per cent of its GDP on defence. According to The Economist, it will need to spend between 4 and 5 per cent to be able to defend itself without the Americans. Among the ideas being considered is the pooling of common debt to buy weapons, which is controversial in several richer member states, further joint research funding and a greater role for the European Investment Bank. Keir Starmer has held talks with Mrs von der Leyen about how Britain can be involved in raising finance for Europe's collective defence and continued support for Ukraine. A European Commission spokesperson said: 'The defence industry is an industry in the single market. And industry and the single market are the competence of the commission.' Brussels could also act on military mobility, which helps 'armed forces and their equipment to move around the EU with ease'. Military mobility was critical for security and resilience and 'an additional deterrent', the spokesperson said. 'Even if it will not be possible in the short term to make one big jump towards a European army, we can move forward step by step,' said Luc Frieden, Luxembourg's prime minister, in 2024 as he suggested a smaller group of willing states could take the plunge first. Andrew Duff, a former Liberal Democrat MEP and former president of the Union of European Federalists, believes it has come a step closer. 'But a fully integrated EU army is years away, and will probably only crystallise when Putin has his next crack at Ukraine,' the European Policy Centre think tank fellow said. He added, 'The top thing now is to fast track Ukraine into the EU. Ukraine as a member state will quicken the development of the EU military dimension.' Rob Jetten, the leader of the opposition Democrats 66 party in the Netherlands, recently shared an image of tanks, battleships and jets heading into battle under the flags of Europe on social media. The meme is doing the rounds of the majority pro-EU European Parliament, sources said. 'If we want to protect our own continent, we can do it together. With one strong European army instead of a dozen separate systems,' he posted.'These times call for action!.' An Ipsos IO survey for state broadcaster NOS this week found that half of Dutch people now supported the creation of an EU army. But it also found that only 18 per cent of young Dutch people would be prepared to actually join it. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Von der Leyen cools on EU army as Trump fuels demand
Ursula von der Leyen has distanced herself from her past support for an EU army, despite Donald Trump fuelling demands for the creation of a joint European fighting force. European governments are scrambling to boost their collective defence amid concerns over deteriorating relations with Mr Trump's administration, as well as fears US troops will pull out of Europe and weaken Nato. These concerns would have been only exacerbated by Volodymyr Zelensky's disastrous Oval Office meeting with Mr Trump on Friday, which descended into a shouting match. The crisis has boosted calls to ensure Europe can act independently of Washington, and raised the long-distant prospect of an army coming a step closer. In 2015, the European Commission president who was then Germany's defence minister, said: 'Our future as Europeans will one day be a European army.' Mrs von der Leyen's officials played down those comments this week when The Telegraph asked if she thought that day was getting nearer. 'The president has always been very clear on the fact that troops and their organisation are absolutely the responsibility of the member states,' a commission spokesman said. European leaders, faced with Mr Trump's insistence they will police the peace in Ukraine, have been shocked into action. On Monday, Jose Manuel Albares, Spain's foreign minister, urged plans for a joint rapid reaction force, potentially including commandos, to be accelerated. He said the 5,000 soldier-strong group 'could be the embryo, even, of a European army that we have often talked about' before EU leaders meet for an emergency summit on defence on March 6. 'I really believe that the time has come that the armed forces of Europe must be created,' Mr Zelensky said at the Munich Security Conference in February2025. 'Let's be honest, now we can't rule out that America might say 'no' to Europe on issues that might threaten it.' Independent from US On Sunday, Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor in waiting, said Europe had to make itself independent from the US and warned Nato could be dead by June. He told reporters: 'It is five minutes to midnight for Europe,' days after suggesting Germany could ask for the shelter of Britain and France's nuclear deterrent. It was an astonishing intervention from an election winner on the night of his victory who was, until recently, one of Germany's most nakedly pro-US politicians. Mr Merz's opinion matters. The leader of the conservative CDU, which is also Mrs von der Leyen's party, should soon take the reins of Europe's largest economy. His comments will have come as music to the ears of Emmanuel Macron, the French president, who may be enjoying his 'I told you so' moment. He has urged his allies to do more on common defence since Mr Trump's first term. Back in 2018, Mr Macron declared that Europe could not be protected without 'a true European army'. Jean-Claude Juncker, Mrs von der Leyen's predecessor as commission president, called for an EU army in 2015. Mr Macron eventually extracted some reluctant words of support from Angela Merkel, then German chancellor, but little progress was made. The UK, still an EU member, would have opposed any concrete plans on the grounds they risked undermining Nato. Mr Macron now hopes the Paris-Berlin engine of EU policymaking can finally deliver the 'strategic autonomy' he wants. The European army has long been a niche obsession of fearful Brexiteers and enthusiastic arch-federalists. Could its moment have finally arrived? Long and wasted years The idea of a supranational European military force has periodically raised its head since the European Defence Community was discussed in the 1950s. France vetoed plans that could have led to a joint armed force among the six original member states in 1954, amid sovereignty fears. Since then, the pre-eminence of Nato as Europe's security guarantor kept the idea largely on the shelf. The EU has had multinational battle groups of 1,500 personnel each since 2007 but these have never been deployed. 'First there has to be political will,' one EU diplomat said. 'No leader wants to send troops to die under an EU flag.' After the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Mr Macron and Mrs von der Leyen pushed for the creation of the joint rapid reaction force. The idea was this 5,000-strong unit would mean the EU would never again be solely dependent on the US in the crisis zones of the future. It is hoped the force would be able to be used to enforce ceasefire zones, secure airlifts, safely evacuate EU nationals and provide emergency humanitarian assistance. The scheme is supported by France and Germany on the basis of a 'coalition of the willing', as long as no EU governments object, and is also supported by Italy and Spain, which backed an even larger formation of up to 50,000 troops. The hope is that the force, backed up a headquarters with 350 staff members, could be ready to deploy anywhere in the world in 2025. The end of Nato? 'We are never going to get a European Union army, we may have a European Nato force, but it'll be extremely difficult,' said Edward Lucas, senior fellow and senior adviser at the Centre for European Policy Analysis All Nato members were hugely dependent on US equipment and resources, for example in mid-air refuelling. Command and control in Nato was done by the US and that would have to be rebuilt by the Europeans if the former pulled out after 80 years of protecting the continent after the Second World War. 'Britain could probably command a division. We can't field one, and most European countries could struggle to put a brigade in the field,' Mr Lucas said. He added: 'I think we're in a post-Nato era and we're reaping the harvest of our three decades of eating the peace dividend.' Given such challenges, not to mention the constitutional neutrality of EU members such as like Austria and Ireland, Brussels is now focusing on ramping up the defence industry and finding ways to boost spending. Where's the money? The EU as a whole spends about 1.8 per cent of its GDP on defence. According to The Economist, it will need to spend between 4 and 5 per cent to be able to defend itself without the US. Among the ideas being considered is the pooling of common debt to buy weapons, which is controversial in several richer member states, further joint research funding and a greater role for the European Investment Bank. Sir Keir Starmer has held talks with Mrs von der Leyen about how Britain can be involved in raising finance for Europe's collective defence and continued support for Ukraine. A European Commission spokesman said: 'The defence industry is an industry in the single market. And industry and the single market are the competence of the commission.' Brussels could also act on military mobility, which helps 'armed forces and their equipment to move around the EU with ease'. Military mobility was critical for security and resilience and 'an additional deterrent', the spokesperson said. The dream marches on 'Even if it will not be possible in the short term to make one big jump towards a European army, we can move forward step by step,' said Luc Frieden, Luxembourg's prime minister, in 2024 as he suggested a smaller group of willing states could take the plunge first. Andrew Duff, a former Liberal Democrat MEP and former president of the Union of European Federalists, believes it has come a step closer. 'But a fully integrated EU army is years away, and will probably only crystallise when Putin has his next crack at Ukraine,' the European Policy Centre think tank fellow said. He added, 'The top thing now is to fast track Ukraine into the EU. Ukraine as a member state will quicken the development of the EU military dimension.' Rob Jetten, the leader of the opposition Democrats 66 party in the Netherlands, recently shared an image of tanks, battleships and jets heading into battle under the flags of Europe on social media. Steeds meer Nederlanders steunen een Europees leger 🇪🇺 Als we ons eigen continent willen beschermen, kunnen we dat samen doen. Met één sterk Europees leger in plaats van een tiental losse systemen. Toon nu daadkracht en wacht niet af tot het misgaat. Deze tijd vraagt om actie! — Rob Jetten (@RobJetten) February 26, 2025 The meme is doing the rounds of the majority pro-EU European Parliament, sources said. 'If we want to protect our own continent, we can do it together. With one strong European army instead of a dozen separate systems,' he posted.'These times call for action!' An Ipsos IO survey for state broadcaster NOS this week found that half of Dutch people now supported the creation of an EU army. But it also found that only 18 per cent of young Dutch people would be prepared to actually join it.
