The General Court in Luxembourg reprimanded the European Commission for not providing sufficient information to the public regarding its agreements to purchase Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic. This ruling gives momentum to critics of Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.
The court found that the European Commission wrongly redacted parts of the purchasing agreements it published online, stating that wider access to the details would not undermine commercial interests. Additionally, the court highlighted the need for the commission to disclose conflicts of interests among the team members who negotiated the vaccine purchases.
The European Union has been under scrutiny for refusing to disclose the full terms of the vaccine contracts, only releasing redacted versions. Green members of the European Parliament and private individuals had sued the commission in an attempt to access the full agreements and terms negotiated with vaccine manufacturers.
The European Commission responded by stating that it would carefully study the court’s findings and implications. It emphasized the challenge of balancing public access to information with the legal requirements and commercial interests outlined in the vaccine contracts. The commission also noted that it had provided the European Parliament with comprehensive information on the vaccine agreements.
