"Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants."
— Louis Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Pfizer COVID texts: EU wrong to deny release of von der Leyen messages, court finds
The Pfizer Texts Scandal: Why Ursula von der Leyen Owes the EU an Apology—And the Mic
“Klatsche” for von der Leyen: The EU Court Slams Her Leadership Style, Transparency in Tatters
It’s a hard slap in the face for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. This week, the EU’s General Court ruled that the Commission acted unlawfully by refusing to release text messages exchanged between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the pandemic’s vaccine procurement frenzy.
The messages were never published.
The justification? They “didn’t exist.” The court disagrees—and so should every EU citizen.
⚠️ The Real Scandal: Not Just the Texts—But What They Say About Power
Let’s rewind.
Spring 2020. COVID had shut the world down. Governments scrambled to secure vaccines. The EU?
Unprepared, unequipped, and dangerously slow. While the US, UK, and Switzerland raced ahead, Europe lagged behind—and people were dying.
So von der Leyen, without a formal mandate, went off-book. She engaged directly with Pfizer’s CEO.
They reportedly exchanged texts about a vaccine deal worth €35 billion—for 1.8 billion doses.
Let that sink in: billions of taxpayer euros negotiated over text, with zero official oversight.
Then came the New York Times, revealing in 2021 that she had been messaging her “dear Albert.”
A journalist requested access to those messages, invoking the EU’s transparency regulations. The Commission flat-out refused.
Their excuse? We don’t have the texts.
Seriously?
⚖️ The EU Court Wasn’t Buying It
This week’s ruling declared that the Commission’s refusal was legally void. The court said the NYT’s reporting had credibly undermined the Commission’s claim that the messages never existed. And even if they were deleted, the Commission had a duty to explain how and why. It didn’t.
In short: The Commission lied, stonewalled, or both. And now it’s been caught.
π€ Authoritarian Management Disguised as “Crisis Response”
Behind this mess lies a broader problem: Ursula von der Leyen’s governing style.
Her leadership has become synonymous with centralization, opacity, and power hoarding. Communications are tightly controlled. Decision-making is closed-door. Critics silenced. Dissenters removed. Her rival, Thierry Breton? Gone. Her inner circle? Handpicked.
Supporters call it “strong leadership.” Let’s call it what it is: an increasingly authoritarian, top-down regime within what should be the world’s most transparent democratic project.
π₯ Where Was This Verdict Before the EU Election?
Let’s ask the obvious:
Why didn’t this court ruling land before von der Leyen’s re-election campaign?
Was it strategic timing? Bureaucratic delay? Political shielding? We’ll never know. But what we do know is this: Democracy without transparency is a fraud.
π€ Time to Grab the Mic, Ursula
Now is the time, Frau von der Leyen.
Take the mic. Own it. Pledge to rebuild trust. Apologize.
Not because the court told you to.
Not because the NYT embarrassed you.
But because without transparency, the EU is no better than Putin’s Russia or a post-truth United States.
You were meant to be better than this.
π A Salute to the New York Times
Let’s give credit where it’s due: The New York Times did what European institutions failed to do—hold power accountable. When even the EU Parliament sat on its hands, NYT filed the lawsuit.
That’s journalism. That’s resistance. That’s democracy in action.
π³️ Dear EU Voters: Wake Up
Here’s the most dangerous part: every lie, every cover-up, every deleted message feeds the far-right.
For every one of Ursula’s blunders, a hundred new votes go to the AfD, to Le Pen, to OrbΓ‘n clones across Europe. Not because they offer solutions—but because they claim to be “different.” And when democratic leaders act like autocrats, those claims gain traction.
Stop handing them ammunition.
✊ Final Word: Stop It. Or Step Down.
Von der Leyen’s legacy doesn’t have to be stained by scandal and secrecy. But that choice is hers.
The message from the people is clear:
Lead with integrity—or step aside.
The European Union deserves better.
We at ADAPTATION-GUIDE warned you long ago about von der Leyen’s backdoor deals, sketchy digital contracts, and unaccountable style. This latest ruling is not a surprise—it’s a confirmation.
And to the next leader:
Don’t bring us more PR spin. Bring the receipts.
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