BRUSSELS, May 14 (Xinhua) -- European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen must provide a credible explanation for the missing text messages exchanged with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the European Union's (EU) COVID-19 vaccine procurement talks, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Wednesday.
"The EU General Court annuls the Commission's decision refusing The New York Times access to text messages exchanged between President von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer in the context of COVID vaccine procurement," the ECJ said on X.
At the heart of the controversy -- dubbed Pfizergate -- is a request by New York Times journalist Matina Stevi to access text messages between von der Leyen and Bourla sent between Jan. 1, 2021, and May 11, 2022. The Commission denied the request, saying it did not possess the messages.
Pfizergate has amplified criticism over the opacity of the EU's vaccine contracts, which reportedly included secret clauses and enormous sums of public money.
The ECJ rejected the EC's explanation as inadequate. It ruled that simply claiming the documents are not held is not enough, and must be backed by credible details about search efforts and reasons for their unavailability.
"The Commission has not explained in detail the type of searches it conducted or the locations where those searches occurred," the court said. "Accordingly, it has not provided a plausible explanation to justify the non-possession of the requested documents."
The court also noted uncertainty about whether the messages were deleted -- intentionally or automatically -- or lost due to a phone change. It further questioned why such high-level communications weren't deemed significant enough to archive.
Legal experts say the ruling reinforces the EU's accountability obligations and could reshape how officials handle digital correspondence in future high-stakes negotiations. ■
