Exposed Text Messages: EU Court's Verdict Against Commission Secrecy
Text Message Contents between Pfizer and During Pandemic: Loss for Commission in EU Court - Text Message Interaction between Individual and Pfizer during Pandemic: EU Court Defeat Ruling
Let's dive into the juicy details of the power-packed drama between the Brussels authority and the Old Lady of Broadcasting, the New York Times. The beef? Those illicit text messages allegedly traded between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer's top boss, Albert Bourla, during the booming pandemic times.
The center stage witnessed the EU, battling the global chaos caused by the Corona pandemic, as they fought tooth and nail to secure vaccines for their members. Pfizer, led by Bourla, was the main provider in this vaccine cowboy showdown, but the deal's nitty-gritty remained under Fort Knox-style secrecy, raising eyebrows for lack of transparency.
Matina Stevis, the NYT's fearless investigative journalist, craved a peek at those coveted chats like a cat eyeing a canary. Regrettably, the commission refused to oblige, prompting Stevis and the newspaper to take the matter to the European Court. And guess what? They won!
Courts are known for their love of legalese, but this time they went medieval on the EU Commission. The court, demonstrating why it's the brainy big kahuna in the EU hierarchy, schooled the Commission on document transparency regulations. Basically, all EU bodies' documents should be fair game for the public, except under specific exceptions, like national security or property rights[1].
The Commission, it seemed, was more relying on speculation and shady information than legit evidence[2]. Conversely, the NYT furnished convincing proof that both parties were chatting like old pals. Thus, the Commission's claim of those messages vanishing into thin air was as believable as the Loch Ness Monster[6].
The commission must now put on its thinking cap and show the court tangible reasons for the mystery of the lost messages[2]. Interestingly, the court didn’t reveal the method or location of its treasure hunt for the texts. Additionally, it's unclear whether the messages were obliterated on purpose, expunged by some magical auto-delete setting, or if there was a phone upgrade in the mix. The why, how, and when of their demise is yet to be deciphered[4].
So here's the million-euro question: Why were these chats worth losing sleep over but not worth keeping? Cryptic, much?
Notes:
- EU organs' documents should generally be accessible to the public. (Source: Regulation on access to documents)
- EU Court ruled in favor of NYT accessing the text messages. (Source: EU Court's ruling)
- EU Commission refused to disclose the text messages initially. (Source: NYT report)
- EU Commission has yet to describe its efforts to locate the messages. (Source: EU Court's ruling)
- EU Commission may appeal the ruling to the European Court of Justice. (Source: NYT Report)
- No conclusive evidence has been found to prove the non-existence of the texts. (Source: EU Court's ruling)
Related Terms:
- Text Messages
- Ursula von der Leyen
- Pfizer
- CEO
- EU
- New York Times
- EU Commission
- SMS
- Luxumbourg
- General Court
- European Court of Justice
- Transparency
- Disclosure
- Court Ruling
- Corona pandemic
- The European Court, in its ruling, compelled the EU Commission to reveal why text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer's CEO, Albert Bourla, were not disclosed to the public, adhering to the regulations on document transparency.
- Amidst the political landscape, the business world, and the general news sphere, the NYT's persistent quest for transparency led them to take the Commission to court over the hidden details of the EU-Pfizer vaccine deal.
- In the midst of the global finance and industry-wide race for Covid-19 vaccines, the Commission and Pfizer found themselves under the microscope for their cryptic text message exchanges, particularly between von der Leyen and Bourla, which the Commission initially refused to disclose.
