Ursula von der Leyen will seek European Parliament’s backing for her appointment as Commission chief next week, but an unexpected ruling arriving from Luxembourg could stymie proceedings.
The European Court of Justice has confirmed that it will issue a much-anticipated ruling over access to information related to Ursula von der Leyen’s handling of pandemic vaccine contracts next Wednesday (17 July), the eve of a crucial vote on the Commission President’s reappointment in the European Parliament.
Several Green MEPs filed requests to access COVID-19 vaccine contracts in 2021 negotiated by the Commission and in an attempt to understand terms and conditions of the agreements, brokered by the EU executive.
The ruling is expected to be publicly available by early afternoon on Wednesday (17 July), just a day before von der Leyen’s reappointment vote in Strasbourg, which was this week confirmed for Thursday 18 July by the Parliament’s conference of presidents.
In the past, von der Leyen faced criticism from lawmakers for providing only partial access to vaccine contracts, redacted versions of which were placed online.
While von der Leyen was originally praised for the EU’s COVID-19 vaccine contracts, attention subsequently turned to calls and text messages she shared with Albert Bourla, CEO of vaccine-maker Pfizer, as MEPs and the media sought more details on how they were brokered.
The Commission argued that the calls and messages were temporary and not strictly documents which needed storing, but MEPs challenged the idea that they were ephemera in the EU Court.
Von der Leyen’s reappointment remains moot until she secures the backing of a simple majority of MEPs in Strasbourg next week.
The situation also presents a dilemma for the Greens, who are considered crucial in the upcoming secret ballot vote and are still open to backing her.
The Greens did not discuss their vaccine access request in a recent meeting with von der Leyen, a party source confirmed to Euronews.
Another Greens source suggested that the ruling might not be the group’s primary focus next week, given the broader context of the talks for von der Leyen’s reappointment.
Greens MEP Tilly Metz, who was among the lawmakers requesting access to the documents, told Euronews she is looking forward to next week’s ruling: “It is about how transparent the public institutions are when it comes to issues important to the public. It is also about the public interest.”
The European Commission must function according to the highest possible standards of transparency, she said, adding: “Now it is about health, tomorrow it can be about defence or other sectors.”
German MEP Peter Liese, health spokesperson of von der Leyen’s European People’s Party (EPP) told Euronews that the Commission chief’s responsibility was to get Europeans vaccinated quickly.
“I’m not sure what was in the SMS or what she talked with Albert Bourla from Pfizer, but she made an effort and got the vaccines which was what the European people expected,” he said.