EU Court Criticizes Commission Over Vaccine Purchase Transparency

The EU general court ruled that the European Commission did not provide enough public access to COVID-19 vaccine purchase agreements with pharmaceutical companies during the pandemic. The court's decision comes just before a European Parliament vote, where Commission President Ursula von der Leyen seeks reelection.

The European Commission did not allow the public sufficient access to information about COVID-19 vaccine purchase agreements it secured with pharmaceutical companies during the pandemic, the EU general court stated on Wednesday. This ruling coincides with an upcoming vote at the European Parliament, where European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen seeks reelection.

A group of EU lawmakers pursued legal action after the Commission refused to grant them full access to the contracts for COVID-19 vaccines between the EU's executive arm and manufacturers.

The pandemic highlighted the issue of transparency in negotiations between the EU and major pharmaceutical companies. The EU Commission was tasked by member countries to orchestrate the joint procurement of vaccines during the pandemic, leading negotiations with manufacturers.

The court revealed that the collective vaccine procurement for all 27 member states enabled the EU to amass 2.7 billion euros ($2.95 billion) for over a billion doses of vaccines.

In 2021, some members of the European Parliament requested full details of the agreements, but the Commission only provided partial access to certain contracts and documents, placing redacted versions online. The Commission also declined to disclose the costs of the billions of doses ordered, citing contractual confidentiality.

The court stated that "the Commission did not take sufficient account of all the relevant circumstances to correctly weigh the interests at issue."

(With inputs from agencies.)