Latest news with #Pfizergate
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
EU's von der Leyen 'has to be held accountable' for vaccine texts: Senior MEP Aubry
Aubry reacts to the recent EU General Court ruling over undisclosed vaccine deal text messages between EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the CEO of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer during the Covid-19 pandemic. The court's decision was hailed as a victory for transparency, but von der Leyen has not made the text messages public. "Well, it's a scandal, let's be honest," Aubry says. "And let's face it, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has been negotiating the contract with Pfizer for the vaccines. The price of the vaccines has been increasing out of nowhere, probably from direct negotiations. And those SMS were not just like me sending you a nice and friendly SMS; 'Do you want to have a drink'? No, it was about negotiation of public money. So she has to be held accountable for that. I think, to be honest, she should be resigning." Aubry puts the "Pfizergate" controversy in the context of broader concerns about a lack of transparency in the EU institutions. "How many scandals have we had over the last few years? You might remember ' Qatargate ', and the recent 'Huaweigate', Aubry says. "The core of the issue is opacity. Everything that is dealt, negotiated, agreed upon in the European institutions is done within closed doors, with no possibility for journalists, for NGOs, for citizens to hold the politicians accountable. And that's a problem. We need the independent ethics body that we've been advocating [for], but we also need to take of money out [of the European Parliament]. As an MEP, you should not take a single cent outside of the money that you earn as an MEP." Aubry draws a parallel between attempts to simplify corporate due diligence and sustainability directives and French President Emmanuel Macron 's call to remove "Duty of Care" requirements on multinationals. "This is a trend that is following Trump, quite simply. It's deregulation," Aubry states. "The 'Duty of Care' text is one that I negotiated over the last five years. It's been adopted only a year ago. So democratically speaking, killing a directive that has been adopted only a year ago, that companies were starting to get ready to implement, is a bit of a problem. But most importantly, why is that 'Duty of Care' Directive important? You know, if you take all of the big multinationals, take Nike, take Total, take Carrefour, take Vinci, take whatever companies; they make profits out of the exploitation of workers and the environment. So the principle is very simple for that directive. We are just saying that companies will have to be responsible for their subcontractors, for the whole value chain, because they cannot make profits out of this. They will have to be careful. It's a duty of care! So they will have to prevent human rights violations. And if there are human rights violations, then they can be held responsible and pay fines for it." Aubry calls on progressive forces in the European Parliament to get together and block the watering down of such legislative acts. "To be honest, the Socialists are giving up," Aubry laments. "On the 'Stop-the-clock' directive, which is postponing the implementation of the 'Duty of Care' legislation, precisely to water it down, they voted in favour! How come they voted in favour? They were on our side to negotiate that directive, and now they agree to water it down. So I think this goes beyond that directive. It's a big question now for the whole left, for the Greens, for the Socialists, for all the progressives. Where are you? And what will you tell your kids?" Aubry has been supporting women 's reproductive freedoms, particularly in Poland amid the election of the arch-conservative president, Karol Nawrocki. "You know, there was a time when French women were going to Poland to get abortions. And now it's the other way around," Aubry points out. "And I want to tell all the feminist activists in Poland: we are together with you. We're going to keep helping you. I'm going to be back in Poland early July. I'm going to bring back abortion pills. I'm going to keep fighting to get abortion into the EU Charter for Fundamental Rights. We are in 2025. How come we're still fighting for that very simple right of abortion?" Aubry is a well-known advocate for the Palestinian cause. We ask her if French President Emmanuel Macron is backtracking from his earlier signals that he would recognise a Palestinian state. "It looks like it. There's at least a strong hesitation," she replies. "And I remember when he made his first declaration, he said, well, that it was not the right moment to recognise the state of Palestine. But when will be the right moment? We've got 100 percent of the 2 million Palestinians living in Gaza that are at risk of famine. We've got people dying every single day under the bombs of Israel. We've got an embargo on humanitarian aid. And in the meantime, France is still delivering weapons to Israel. So I will keep fighting strongly to suspend the Association Agreement, the trade association agreement between Israel and the EU. I'll keep fighting for an embargo on weapons. We need to support Gaza. We need to support the Palestinians, because what is at stake in Gaza is not only the Palestinians. It's our humanity. And that's the humanity that we should be fighting for."
France 24
15-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
'Pfizergate': Court finds EU Commission chief von der Leyen broke transparency rules
The Hungarian government is considering an extremely repressive law. There seems to be little interest in the main Hungarian newspapers – except in Telex, one of the last independent news sites in the country. And for good reason: the government is mulling a law that would allow it to monitor, penalise and possibly shut down all independent media and NGOs deemed a threat to national sovereignty. In other words, as Telex notes wryly, the Fidesz party's new bill is similar to the one that has served Russian President Vladimir Putin well in building a dictatorship. Radio Free Europe notes that this bill follows a series of similar repressive moves in the country. In March, Prime Minister Viktor Orban cracked down on journalists and politicians who receive foreign funding. Last month, a constitutional amendment banned public displays of homosexuality and gender diversity, while allowing police to use facial recognition technology. The timing of this bill is particularly interesting. As the Guardian notes, Orban's bill is a move to crack down on dissent ahead of elections in Hungary next year. It comes amid the rising popularity of the Tisza party, headed by Orban's former ally Peter Magyar, who could pose an unprecedented challenge. Staying in Europe, a tribunal has handed down a verdict against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the Pfizergate scandal. French paper Libération takes us through the scandal, which came to light in 2021 after The New York Times published an article about the negotiations of the biggest ever EU vaccine contract with Pfizer. During the first few months of 2021, von der Leyen exchanged several SMS with Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer, in the negotiation of a multi-billion-euro contract for Covid vaccines. For its article about the negotiations, The New York Times made an official request for the SMS, but the EU Commission denied the request. It offered various unclear explanations, saying the messages had the disappearing message function or were deleted. The EU's general court ruled yesterday that von der Leyen failed in her obligation to be transparent. As Politico notes, it raises very interesting issues about the legitimacy of SMS and WhatsApp messages as official documents. The judge's "bombshell ruling", as Politico puts it, indicates that the Commission was wrong to deny access to the messages. The Commission says the messages were too boring to count as documents. The judgment suggests that text messages should be considered official documents, but it's not at all binding. Public access to officials' SMS will mostly likely continue to not be granted freely. Finally, we discover a fascinating study led by Australian researchers about Barbie's feet! According to The Conversation, Australian podiatrists were particularly interested in Barbie's feet after a memorable scene from the 2023 film. They decided to study the shape of her feet from 1959 to 2024 – that's 2,750 Barbies in total. What they found is fascinating: basically Barbie's high-heeled feet became flatter over the decades, something that appears to mirror broader societal changes. Barbie ditched her high-heeled posture the more she climbed the career ladder. In the 1960s, you only had tip-toed Barbies. By the 2020s, only about 40 percent wore heels. As Barbie became more diverse and inclusive, but also more athletic and representative in male-dominated fields, her feet flattened. It suggests a correlation between flat-footed Barbie and her emancipation from societal constraints!
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pfizergate verdict delivers blow to European Commission
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is being tested again over Pfizergate (Image: PTI) The European Union's General Court has annulled a European Commission decision that denied a journalist from The New York Times daily access to text messages exchanged between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and pharmaceutical company Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. The verdict marks a significant legal and political blow to the EU's executive arm, raising fresh doubts about von der Leyen's leadership style and her handling of transparency obligations. "Von der Leyen has gathered more power than any other president before her, leading the Commission with a centralized and secretive approach — and this has clearly backfired," Olivier Hoedeman of Corporate Europe Observatory , a Brussel's based watchdog, told DW. The controversial Pfizergate case involves messages that were reportedly exchanged during the EU's negotiation of a multibillion-euro COVID-19 vaccine contract with Pfizer during the coronavirus pandemic. The existence of the private communication was first hinted at in a 2021 interview, sparking widespread concern over opaque decision-making at the heart of the EU. Later that year, New York Times journalist Matina Stevis-Gridneff submitted a request to access the messages, according to EU transparency laws, which the Commission rejected, claiming it did not possess them. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gạch cao su dễ lắp đặt – Hãy làm mới ngôi nhà của bạn một cách dễ dàng! Gạch | Quảng cáo tìm kiếm Tìm Ngay Undo That refusal prompted the US daily to challenge the decision before the General Court. No 'plausible explanation' The EU court has now concluded that the Commission failed to justify its claim that it did not possess the requested documents credibly — and that it did not demonstrate it had made adequate efforts to locate or preserve them. The judges also ruled that text messages sent in the context of public procurement should be treated as official EU documents. In an interview with DW, Transparency International's Shari Hinds said the decision was "a real victory for transparency," adding that it represented a step toward restoring public trust and institutional accountability. In response to the ruling, the European Commission said it would take note of the General Court's decision and acknowledged the need to provide a more detailed explanation as to why it was not able to provide the requested text messages. However, it underlined that the Court had not challenged the Commission's overall document registration policy, and said that, therefore, no change to these rules was foreseen. "Transparency has always been of paramount importance," the Commission said in a statement, reaffirming its commitment to openness and accountability under the existing legal framework. The EU's main executive body can now appeal the ruling or comply by either releasing the messages — if they still exist — or providing a detailed account for their absence, including information about whether they were deleted and if so under what circumstances. 'Humilitation and resounding defeat' "The Commission keeps repeating its commitment to transparency, but when it comes to implementing those principles, it's falling short," Päivi Leino-Sandberg, Professor of Transnational European Law at the University of Helsinki, told DW, adding that the body did not "even acknowledge the problem." Many members of the European Parliament also reacted sharply. Martin Schirdewan, co-chair of The Left Group called the ruling "a humiliation and resounding defeat" for the Commission. He accused von der Leyen of damaging democracy through her secrecy and demanded that she publish the messages immediately. Anything less, he warned, would be irresponsible — and grounds for her to step down. Hoedeman argued that by presiding over the very institution tasked with enforcing EU law and overseeing the vaccine negotiations directly, von der Leyen had played a dual role that had "created a clear conflict of interest." He said that the ruling was thus not only a scandal for the European Commission but for its president herself. He said that when an institution responsible for enforcing transparency failed to hold its own leadership to account, public confidence eventually took a hit, particularly if the leadership appeared to benefit from a lack of scrutiny. "This has damaged trust in both the Commission and the EU as a whole," he explained. Furthermore, he added that while the Commission had defended its approach by citing the urgency of the pandemic, crisis conditions could not justify a lack of transparency. "The Commission must start seeing transparency as something to embrace, not fear. Otherwise, it fuels conspiracy theories instead of trust." 'Accountability and oversight' needed Transparency watchdogs and legal experts said the court's decision called for a turning point in Brussels' handling of executive communications. "Decisions affecting millions shouldn't be made through private texts," Hinds said. "They need to happen in formal settings, with accountability and oversight." The message from critics is clear: Policymaking, especially when it comes to public health and finance, should not be done in the shadows. The controversy comes at a sensitive time for the EU. As far-right, nationalist forces gain traction in several member states and many citizens grow increasingly skeptical of Brussels, institutional trust is a critical asset. The European Parliament might now demand an independent inquiry, and civil society groups are calling for stricter regulations to ensure all official communications are archived and accessible. Whether von der Leyen can weather the fallout remains uncertain. But with legal scrutiny intensifying and public trust on the line, her presidency now faces one of its most serious tests yet.
Russia Today
15-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Court rules on von der Leyen's secret Covid vaccine deal messages
The European Commission wrongly denied the media access to secret text messages between its president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the CEO of pharma giant Pfizer, exchanged during negotiations of a multi-billion dollar Covid-19 vaccine deal, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled on Wednesday. The so-called 'Pfizergate' case centers on a 2021 interview von der Leyen gave to the New York Times (NYT) in which she claimed she had been negotiating a deal for 900 million COVID vaccine shots with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla via sms messages. The NYT subsequently filed an access request for the messages, to which the EC claimed the texts, which have never been released, were not in its possession. The court ruled that the EC 'cannot merely state that it does not hold the requested documents but must provide credible explanations enabling the public and the Court to understand why those documents cannot be found.' It also criticized the Commission for failing to justify why the texts were not retained and to clarify how they were deleted. In response, the EC said it recognized the need for greater transparency and promised to issue a new decision with more detailed reasoning. It did not, however, commit to releasing the messages in question. The ruling can be appealed to the European Court of Justice. A similar CJEU judgment last July found that the EC lacked transparency in how it negotiated vaccine contracts with Pfizer and AstraZeneca. The deals, signed in 2020 and 2021 and worth approximately €2.7 billion ($3 billion), were shielded from disclosure to European Parliament members on the grounds of protecting commercial interests.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
European Commission wrong to deny release of von der Leyen messages, court says
The European Commission was wrong to refuse to release text messages sent by Ursula von der Leyen to the head of Pfizer during negotiations to secure Covid-19 vaccines, the EU's top court has ruled. The General Court said the commission had not given a plausible explanation as to why the exchanges between its president and Pfizer's Albert Bourla could not be made public when an investigative journalist requested them in 2021. That year, Pfizer signed billions of euros in vaccine contracts with the EU, including a deal for 1.8bn extra doses. The content of the messages between von der Leyen and Mr Bourla remains secret, in a simmering case that has become known in Brussels as Pfizergate. Anti-corruption group Transparency International has hailed the European Court's ruling as a "landmark victory for transparency in the EU", adding that it should serve as a catalyst to put an end to a "restrictive attitude to freedom of information". Von der Leyen became Commission president in 2019, and within a year faced the task of leading the EU's response to the Covid pandemic. She won a second five-year term late last year. Wednesday's ruling threatens to damage her reputation, because of the apparent lack of transparency surrounding the Pfizer vaccine deal, in which she played such a significant role. The Commission said it would closely study the ruling and consider its next steps, but it insisted that transparency had "always been of paramount importance". The controversy erupted in April 2021, when New York Times journalist Matina Stevis revealed how Ursula von der Leyen had negotiated privately with the Pfizer boss after his German partner BioNTech won regulatory approval for its Covid drug. The article spurred investigative journalist Alexander Fanta, who worked for a German publication, to use a Freedom of Information request to see the exchange of messages between January 2021 and May 2022. But the European Commission turned him down, saying it did not have the documents. Under the Commission's transparency rules, all staff including the president, have to archive their documents. However, mobile text messages are a grey area, and the case has largely hinged on whether or not they should be considered as important records. One EU official argued this week that SMS messages were not "systematically considered public documents" and not recorded as such. Fanta took the case to the European Ombudsman in 2021, where an inquiry found that the Commission's failure to look for the text messages beyond its usual record-keeping amounted to maladministration. Stevis and the New York Times followed up, and when the messages were still not released, they took the European Commission to court. Ruling on Stevis's challenge, the court said on Wednesday that the EU's executive had relied "either on assumptions or on changing or imprecise information", while the journalist and the New York Times had succeeded in rebutting their claims. The court said that if a presumption was rebutted then it was up to the Commission to prove that documents either did not exist or it did not possess them. The Commission had not clarified whether or not the text messages had been deleted, the court ruled, and if they had been deleted, whether that was done deliberately or whether von der Leyen had since changed her mobile phone.
