Corona vaccines

EU Commission has violated EU law!

(Bild: APA/AFP/Tobias SCHWARZ)

The EU Commission has been criticized for years for its non-transparent procurement of coronavirus vaccines - and not just by die-hard anti-vaccination activists. There have also been complaints against Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, among others. The EU public prosecutor's office also investigated. The General Court of the European Union (General Court) has now ruled that the non-disclosure of information on vaccine contracts worth billions of euros was in breach of EU law.

In 2021, MEPs and private individuals applied for access to the contracts. However, the EU Commission, led by German CDU politician von der Leyen, only granted this access in part. Parliamentarians and private individuals therefore sued and have now been partially upheld. 

(Bild: APA/AFP/Tobias SCHWARZ)

Court refers to special public interest
The court objected to the fact that the EU Commission had not sufficiently justified why extensive access to the clauses on compensation rules would harm the commercial interests of companies. The EU Commission had also refused access to the documents with reference to the protection of people's privacy. However, the plaintiffs had duly demonstrated the special purpose of the public interest in the publication of the data: Namely, it could only be verified that there was no conflict of interest if the names and professional roles of the persons involved in the contracts were available.

The ruling at first instance was handed down shortly before the vote on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

(Bild: EPA)

The Commission should now be more open in its decision-making process, demanded MEP Kim van Sparrentak, one of the plaintiffs. "The ruling is important for the future because the Commission will undertake further joint procurements in areas such as health and defense," said the Dutch MEP, who is a member of the Green Group. The new Commission will have to adapt its actions accordingly with the ruling, she added with a view to the new college that will now be formed after the European elections.

The ruling comes one day before the vote in the European Parliament on a second term of office for Ursula von der Leyen as Commission President - the worst possible timing. The EU Commission can now appeal against the ruling before the European Court of Justice (ECJ).