Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission have been accused of “maladministration” after refusing to publish text messages she sent to the chief executive of Pfizer during negotiations to buy 1.8 billion doses of the Covid vaccine.
The commission’s president publicly admitted that she repeatedly texted Albert Bourla, the head of the pharmaceutical giant, about the deal in April last year as negotiations peaked amid new lockdowns and pressure for the EU to speed up vaccinations.
It has since emerged that under the terms of the agreement — estimated to be worth up to €35 billion (£29 billion)— Von der Leyen personally negotiated that the cost of the Pfizer vaccine for European taxpayers increased by more than a quarter, from €15.50 to €19.50 (£16).
