The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled against the European Commission regarding the transparency of COVID-19 vaccine contracts.
The Court found that the Commission had unduly censored significant sections of the contracts before publishing them, following a transparency request from two Members of the European Parliament, Sophie in 't Veld and Timo Wölken. The court determined that the Commission had not provided adequate justification for these redactions, which concerned essential information such as vaccine prices and delivery schedules.
This decision represents a setback for Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, who is seeking a second term. The ruling could weaken her political position by influencing the Members of the European Parliament who are responsible for voting on her reappointment. The transparency of vaccine contracts had already been a contentious issue, with criticisms directed at the Commission for its lack of clarity and communication during the pandemic.
The Court emphasized the importance of transparency to maintain public trust in European institutions and ordered the Commission to disclose the previously censored information. This decision could also have implications for other public contracts and how European institutions manage transparency in the future.
Other cases involving Pfizer contracts and communication between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla are also ongoing in different EU jurisdictions.
For more details, the Politico article is available here.