The Commission is being rapped on the knuckles by the European Court of Justice for its lack of transparency in Covid vaccine contracts. The Commission was wrong to decide not to give more information and to also hide part of it, the judges ruled. The Commission’s decisions are therefore partly annulled, which risks putting Ursula von der Leyen in a difficult position before the European Parliament this Thursday as she seeks to be reappointed as head of the Commission.
2 min
With our correspondent in Brussels, Pierre Benazet
As early as January 2021, MEPs had asked to check the contracts for the supply of Covid vaccines. The Commission then made the first contract available to MEPs, but they had to register to be able to go and consult it for three quarters of an hour, armed only with a notebook and a pen. Several passages had been blacked out, places or conditions of production, price, intellectual property or legal responsibility, for example.
According to the Commission, compliance with the confidentiality clauses was a condition for the laboratories to continue to agree to sign contracts with Europe. Contracts subsequently published were also redacted, for example on questions of compensation. The judges considered that the Commission was wrong and that the public had a right to know the content of the contracts.
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Commission decisions annulled
The Commission states loudly that the judges, on the other hand, agree with it. on most points »: protection of commercial interests, location of production sites and intellectual property for example.
The fact remains that the Commission’s decisions have now been annulled and the subject is likely to be raised by MEPs this Thursday during Ursula von der Leyen’s hearing, which will also bring up the issue of the text messages she sent to the CEO of the Pfizer laboratory at the time of the contract negotiations. A real thorn in the side, because with the secret ballot, she is far from certain of the support of MEPs, even within her own party.
The Court of Justice’s decision is a welcome reminder to the European Commission that they cannot just go about their business in their own corner without ever taking into account the need for transparency and accountability to citizens…
Manon Aubry, LFI European MP