European Commission braces for EU legal ruling on Pfizergate

Wednesday 14 May 2025 6:00 am
 |  Updated: 

Tuesday 13 May 2025 10:23 pm

European Commission

Berlaymont will be closely watching a highly anticipated EU Court of Justice judgment focused on transparency around the EU’s vaccine deal with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

Pfizergate is the name given to the political scandal in Brussels involving European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla over the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines.

In 2021, during the pandemic, the EU signed one of the biggest single deals for Covid-19 vaccines with Pfizer. The EU bought nearly two billion doses of Pfizer-Biontech’s vaccine, adding to the 600 million shots it had already contracted from the firms.

This deal developed into a political scandal at the Commission’s headquarters, as journalists at the New York Times reported on von der Leyen using her phone to strike a deal with Pfizer’s boss.

However, by using her phone, the president allegedly bypassed the procurement process.

Several media outlets requested access to these messages from von der Leyen’s office, but all were refused. A complaint was issued to the European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, who opened a probe and was also refused access to the messages.

The New York Times took legal action against the European Commission.

The case was lodged in 2023 in the bloc’s highest court after the US paper’s freedom of information request over the messages was rejected.

A hearing went ahead last November, and the court needs to consider whether these messages should be regarded as documents that can be requested and disclosed to the public.

With the European Commission’s transparency and von der Leyen’s reputation on the line, the court is set to deliver its ruling early this morning.