Luxembourg, 14 May 2025 (dpa/MIA) - A European Union court is to rule on Wednesday whether the European Commission was right to withhold text messages exchanged between its president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the head of the vaccine manufacturer Pfizer.

The lawsuit was filed by the New York Times and its correspondent Matina Stevis-Gridneff, alleging a breach of transparency rules after the commission refused to hand over the text messages upon request.

As reported by the New York Times, personal contact between von der Leyen and Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla was crucial to strike a deal for the EU's multi-billion euro vaccine purchases at the hight of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In spring 2021 the commission on behalf of the EU's 27 member states concluded a contract for up to 1.8 billion vaccine doses worth up to €35 billion ($38.9 billion) if fully exercised.

The plaintiffs requested access to all text messages exchanged between von der Leyen and Bourla between January 1, 2021 and May 11, 2022 for their reporting.

The request however was denied, with the commission arguing it "did not hold any such documents," according to court records. The newspaper challenged the decision amid speculation that the messages were deleted.

The commission's way of handling its Covid-19 vaccine contracts has sparked criticism.

In 2022, the European Ombudsman, an independent body, strongly disapproved of the commission's response to the requests for access to the texts.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office is also currently investigating the EU's coronavirus vaccine purchases.

In a separate case, the EU General Court ruled last year that the commission had failed to give the public sufficient access to the purchase agreements for Covid-19 vaccines.

Photo: archive