EU must release more COVID vaccine procurement information, bloc's court adviser says

An adviser to the EU's top court on Thursday recommended that it dismiss an appeal lodged by the European Commission against a 2024 ruling ordering greater disclosure of COVID-19 vaccine procurement documents.

Advocate General Athanasios Rantos told the Court of Justice of the European Union that the General Court was correct in finding that the EU Commission had failed to grant sufficiently broad public access to the vaccine purchase agreements and related documents.

The case stems from requests made by members of the European Parliament and the public in 2021 for access to contracts signed during the EU's centralized vaccine procurement program.

The EU Commission released only partially redacted versions, citing privacy concerns and the protection of pharmaceutical companies' commercial interests.

At issue were, among other things, the identities of members of the EU's vaccine negotiation team and contractual clauses on indemnification of vaccine manufacturers.

Rantos rejected the EU Commission's arguments, saying transparency over the vaccine negotiation process served a clear public interest and that anonymized disclosures alone were insufficient to ensure proper scrutiny of potential conflicts of interest.

He also found that the EU Commission had not shown that releasing indemnification clauses would harm the commercial interests of pharmaceutical companies or increase legal risks, noting that such provisions relate to reimbursement mechanisms between member states and manufacturers rather than liability conditions toward third parties.

The advocate general's opinion is not binding, but it often influences final rulings of the EU Court of Justice, which is expected to deliver its judgment at a later stage.

In July 2025, the European Parliament agreed to debate a motion of censure against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, accusing the executive body of a lack of transparency by refusing to release the text message exchanges with Pfizer.

Von der Leyen defended herself during the parliamentary debate, dismissing the motion as divisive and rejecting accusations of secrecy or misconduct, and as a result, the motion failed.