Ursula von der Leyen's attempt for a second term as European Commission chief has encountered a significant setback after a top EU court determined she was not sufficiently transparent with the public regarding Covid-19 vaccine contracts.
This after the EU's Court of Justice ruled against the Commission’s decision to redact large parts of the contracts before making them available, just 24 hour before the European Parliament will vote on the exension of Von der Leyen’s mandate as the EU's President.
According to a press release published by the court on Wednesday, the EU Commission, led by Von der Leyen "did not give the public sufficiently wide access to the purchase agreements for Covid-19 vaccines"
The statement says that in 2020 and 2021, the EU Commission concluded purchase agreements for Covid-19 vaccines with "some pharmaceutical undertakings" resulting in the quick release of some €2.7 billion for the purchase of "more than one billion doses of vaccine."
The commission failed to show how divulging indemnification details would harm the commercial interests of the pharmaceutical groups supplying the vaccines, the EU General Court ruled.
It also failed a "public interest" test by keeping secret the names of the EU officials involved, the court said.
Politico reports that when EP members of parliament requested access to the contracts, they appeared to be heavily redacted. When total access was refused, Green MEPs then took the Commission to court over the refusal.
The issue may influence MEPs voting for the extension of Von der Leyen's second term as EU Commission President.
She needs 361 of the 720 MEP votes to secure her job.
Complex rules
If approved by MEPs on Thursday, Ursula von der Leyen will serve as the President of the European Commission for the next five years.
Under the European Union’s complex rules and regulations, party blocs within the European Parliament can nominate candidates.
On 23 May, five candidates - Walter Baier (European Left), Sandro Gozi (Renew Europe Now), Ursula von der Leyen (European People’s Party), Terry Reintke (European Greens), and Nicholas Schmit (Party of European Socialists) - participated in a debate broadcast by Eurovision.
Two parties, the European Conservatives and Reformists and Identity and Democracy, did not nominate lead candidates and were not eligible to take part in the debate.
During an EU Council summit in Brussels at the end of May, European leaders then agreed to back a second term for Von der Leyen.
They also picked former Portuguese Premier Antonio Costa as the future chair of their European Council meetings and choose Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the next EU foreign policy chief.
In 2019, 733 members of the European Parliament elected Von der Leyen with 383 votes in favour, 327 against and 22 abstentions. The term is five years.
According to the European Parliament's website, If the candidate does not obtain the required majority, the President "shall invite the European Council to propose a new candidate within one month for election in accordance with the same procedure."
