US EditionCourt rules in favor of the New York Times over texts between an EU chief and a pharma boss
- On May 14, 2025, a leading European court found that the European Commission improperly denied The New York Times' request for access to text message communications exchanged during the COVID-19 pandemic between the Commission’s president and the head of Pfizer.
- The case arose after The New York Times sued in January 2023 to obtain the messages, following the Commission's refusal and failure to plausibly explain their non-possession amid intense scrutiny of pandemic vaccine procurement.
- The court sharply rebuked the Commission for inadequate searches, unclear explanations about message deletion or phone replacement, and for not treating ephemeral texts as documents subject to transparency rules.
- Nicole Taylor of The New York Times called it "a victory for transparency and accountability," while legal experts said overturning the ruling appears unlikely and it pressures the Commission to change its restrictive freedom of information stance.
- The ruling compels the Commission to re-evaluate its handling of the request and could lead to a challenge before the EU’s highest judicial body, while also intensifying demands from transparency supporters for greater accountability within the influential EU executive branch.
170 Articles
170 Articles
Pfizergate: Top European Court Slams Corrupt Globalist EU Chief Von der Leyen in Bombshell Ruling Over Secret Covid-19 Vaccine Procurement Texts
In a ruling that’s shaken the corrupt foundations of the European Union, the EU’s top court has declared that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen broke transparency rules by hiding secret text messages she exchanged with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla—just as the EU was locking itself into the biggest vaccine deal in its history.
Pfizergate takeaways — a legal victory, and a win for transparency
The EU court ruled that the European Commission wrongly denied access to text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer's CEO, reinforcing the need for transparency in high-level communications. Here are EUobserver's takeaways.
Court rules von der Leyen broke EU law over hidden Pfizer texts
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen violated EU transparency rules by withholding text messages exchanged with the CEO of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer during Covid-19 vaccine negotiations, the EU’s General Court ruled on Wednesday. The long-anticipated judgment marks a legal turning point in what has become known as “Pfizergate”, a controversy that has overshadowed von der Leyen’s leadership for more than two years.
European Court of Justice: Ursula von der Leyen's Pfizer texts must be released to New York Times
The European Court of Justice Wednesday ruled there was no plausible reason to block the New York Times from getting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's texts with a Pfizer executive.
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