The investigation relates to von der Leyen’s personal handling of the
vaccine order, with specific concern over her direct messaging with
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. The entire EU procurement process was plagued
by waste, delays, and claims of conflict of interest.
The news that EPPO— the EU’s very own anti-corruption agency— is
taking control of the investigation reflects badly on von der Leyen, who
in March 2024 was confirmed once again as the European People’s Party
(EPP)’s candidate for the Presidency of the European Commission. Already
dismayed by her handling of the EU green deal and foreign policy, parts
of her centrist parliamentary faction have joined external critics in
publically scrutinising her record.
The EPPO investigation was sparked by complaints from Belgian
campaigner Frédéric Baldan, alongside legal actions led by the Hungarian
government (but not the recently installed pro-EU regime in Warsaw,
which has coincidentally dropped its lawsuit against von der Leyen over
her relationship with Pfizer in recent months).
Infamously, the EU was a global laggard during the vaccine rollout in 2021, with many national leaders blaming
the Brussels bureaucracy for the slowness of the process that was
centralised by Eurocrats. (In contrast, Brexit Britain delivered its
vaccine programme in record time.)
Von der Leyen elicited international headlines late last year with news that The New York Times was taking the Commission to court to obtain the text messages between her and the Pfizer CEO, with the American newspaper questioning
how the company obtained the contract at the expense of rival
AstraZeneca. Commentators queried whether the vaccine was fast-tracked
through the regulatory process without the proper considerations.
Von der Leyen was already facing questions
from the EU Ombudsman over a lack of transparency, since the EU deal
with Pfizer prompted health experts to lament the sheer waste of the
vaccine procurement programme, as billions worth of product was dumped, due to a combination of oversupply and errors in the original contract.
While the Commission boss is afforded some degree of partial immunity
under EU law, von der Leyen and her team may face having EPPO
confiscate their laptops and phones for review of all electronic
messaging.
To date, the Commission has not issued any statement regarding the investigation being upgraded. Likewise, Pfizer media representatives declined to comment when contacted by The European Conservative.
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Author: Planet Today
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