The European Commission cannot categorically withhold the text message exchanges between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. This was confirmed in today’s ruling by the European General Court. Von der Leyen is said to have discussed key aspects of vaccine procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic with Bourla via text message. A journalist from The New York Times subsequently requested access to this exchange, but the Commission refused. The Commission may still appeal the decision.

Daniel Freund, MEP for the Greens in the European Parliament, comments:

“The Court today rules in favour of transparency and against secrecy. This ruling is a clear defeat for Ursula von der Leyen and a clear rejection of her practice of concealing or hiding her text messages. It is simply untrue that the Commission President does not use text messages to conduct political business.”

“This judgment must have consequences. The hide-and-seek game on von der Leyen’s phone must stop. Official communications must be systematically stored, archived, and disclosed when appropriate. If this does not happen, von der Leyen should no longer use a smartphone for her official duties. Citizens across Europe have a right to transparency from the European Commission—be it letters, emails, or SMS!”

The press release from the CJEU can be found here:
https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2025-05/cp250060en.pdf