Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

EU stonewalls over von der Leyen’s role in multibillion-euro Pfizer vaccine deal

EU stonewalls over von der Leyen’s role in multibillion-euro Pfizer vaccine deal

European Court of Auditors accuses Commission of refusing to release details of how the bloc’s biggest vaccine contract was negotiated.

With every passing day, the negotiations held between the European Commission and Pfizer over the EU’s largest COVID-19 vaccine contract look less like business as usual and more like a whodunnit.

The plot thickened further after the European Court of Auditors published a report today, accusing the Commission of refusing to disclose any details of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's personal role in the talks.

The budget watchdog found that the EU chief threw out the existing rulebook to hash out a preliminary deal with the U.S. multinational, paving the way for a contract for up to 1.8 billion coronavirus vaccine doses to be signed in May 2021. For all the other vaccine deals struck by the EU between 2020 and 2021, a joint team comprising officials from the Commission and seven member countries conducted exploratory talks. The outcome was then taken to a Vaccine Steering Board made up of representatives from all 27 EU member states who signed off on it.

But this established procedure was not followed in the case of the EU’s biggest contract, the Court of Auditors says. Instead, von der Leyen herself conducted preliminary negotiations for the contract in March, and presented the results to the steering board in April. Meanwhile, a planned meeting of scientific advisors, organized to discuss the EU’s vaccine strategy for 2022, never took place, the court writes.

Unlike with the other contract negotiations, the Commission refused to provide records of the discussions with Pfizer, either in the form of minutes, names of experts consulted, agreed terms, or other evidence. "We asked the Commission to provide us with information on the preliminary negotiations for this agreement," the report's authors write. "However, none was forthcoming."

A senior auditor who helped lead the investigation told POLITICO that the Commission's refusal to divulge information was highly unusual. “This comes up almost never. It’s not a situation that we at the court normally face," said the auditor, who requested anonymity.

The audit report raises further concerns about von der Leyen's actions, just two days before she is due to deliver her annual State of the Union address.

Already in April 2021, the New York Times reported that the EU leader had exchanged text messages with Albert Bourla, the chief executive officer of Pfizer, in the run-up to the deal. The seemingly cozy relationship between top political and business leaders raised eyebrows at the time.

And, as the report notes, the European ombudsman's investigation into the matter met a wall of silence. At the time, the Commission claimed that it no longer had the text messages on record. In response, ombudsman Emily O'Reilly determined that maladministration had taken place.


The biggest deal


The controversy revolves around the Commission’s third contract for BioNTech/Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine. The previous two contracts had secured a total of up to 600 million doses. But this next one, for up to 1.8 billion doses, would prove to be the largest by far of all the deals signed by Brussels. It foresaw the up-front purchase of 900 million doses, with the option to order 900 million more, for delivery in 2022 and 2023.

The contract was significant both in terms of volume and price. According to leaked details, shots cost €15.50 each, meaning the contract would be worth nearly €30 billion if fully exercised. “It is the biggest COVID-19 vaccine contract signed by the Commission and will dominate the EU’s vaccine portfolio until the end of 2023,” the court notes. Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

The deal came at the height of the pandemic, shortly after production and distribution issues at vaccine maker AstraZeneca had left the EU languishing behind the U.S. and U.K. in the race to procure shots. It was in the midst of this crisis that von der Leyen stepped in.

The European Court of Auditors says established procedures were not followed in the case of the EU’s biggest vaccine contract with Pfizer


It wasn’t the first time that the Commission president had gotten in trouble over "disappearing" text messages. During her time as German defense minister, a parliamentary inquiry into well paid deals with external consultants heard that a subordinate had accidentally erased text messages from her official phone and von der Leyen had herself deleted messages from her own device.

Ultimately, von der Leyen was exonerated in 2020 by the inquiry's final report, which found that senior military officers and government officials had committed violations. In her own testimony to the inquiry, she admitted shortcomings in the ministry’s handling of the consulting deals but said that she had addressed them.

The Commission didn’t respond to a request for comment and its written response to the audit report makes no reference to von der Leyen's interactions with Pfizer. But, appearing recently before the European Parliament’s committee on COVID-19, Sandra Gallina, the senior Commission health official who helped lead the negotiations, challenged the idea that there was anything unusual about the third Pfizer contract.

“It was negotiated like all other contracts. I don’t see any difference,” Gallina said, while adding that “there was, perhaps, a different pre-negotiation.”

The court auditor interviewed by POLITICO said that the preliminary negotiations had been crucial to the final deal terms: “The key aspects of the contracts were agreed informally. It was only upon the conclusion of that informal agreement that the formal process could continue. It was really essential to negotiations."

The court cannot compel the Commission to release the missing information. But the European Parliament, through its budget committee, can express its displeasure over the matter.


Face the music


Next month, Pfizer’s Bourla is scheduled to appear before Parliament’s COVID panel. The committee's chair, Belgian Socialist MEP Kathleen van Brempt, said she also intends to ask the court to present its findings.

Speaking to POLITICO, van Brempt said that she understood that, after the AstraZeneca setback in early 2021, the Commission was under immense pressure.

“We were therefore depending on Pfizer, who had managed to advance some of its deliveries to the EU. I understand that in these circumstances, it was important for Ms. von der Leyen to engage with Mr. Bourla directly,” the MEP said.

However, she noted that the Commission President had sidelined the joint negotiating teams for a deal that would only deliver doses the following year, after most Europeans were already vaccinated. The size of the order would later prove to be an issue, with Eastern European countries complaining earlier this year of being locked in to buying too many doses.

The lack of transparency, moreover, adds further fuel to the perception that the EU is distant and in the pocket of multinationals.

“Just look at the picture: you have a Commission President who personally makes a deal with a Big Pharma CEO and who then later refuses to disclose the texts leading up to that negotiation,” said van Brempt.

One question on the minds of MEPs who’ve been clamoring for increased transparency around the vaccine negotiations is whether vaccine makers exerted any pressure on politicians to block calls to widen access to the intellectual property needed to make vaccines to poorer countries.

Asked by left-wing Portuguese MEP Marisa Matias during the COVID committee if Sanofi ever refused any clause on sharing intellectual property rights related to COVID-19 vaccines or other measures that would have made the vaccine a “global public good,” Thomas Triomphe, executive vice president at the French pharmaceutical company, said he didn’t recall that happening.

However, Triomphe said that this discussion would need to happen in terms of future contracts. It’s an important issue for the Parliament, which voted in favor of an intellectual property rights waiver, while the Commission remained opposed to the measure.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
×