The European Commission's alleged lack of transparency in purchasing Covid-19 vaccines at the height of the pandemic is back in the spotlight on Thursday when the EU's highest court is set to communicate on two related cases.
In 2024, the General Court of the European Union, the bloc's second-highest court, already ruled that the commission had failed to give the public sufficient access to the purchase agreements for vaccines.
According to the judges, the commission had failed to demonstrate that the redaction of certain clauses in the agreements was justified when responding to requests by EU lawmakers and citizens to publish the documents under the bloc's freedom of information laws.
However, the commission appealed to the EU's highest court, the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
The ECJ's advocate general is due to issue a legal opinion on Thursday on the appeal cases ahead of a final ruling.
In 2020 and 2021, the commission concluded contracts worth billions of euros to procure Covid-19 vaccines for the EU's 27 member countries. The EU’s executive body has since repeatedly faced accusations of a lack of transparency.
In a separate, widely publicized case, the General Court ruled in 2025 that the commission was wrong to withhold text messages exchanged between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer chief Albert Bourla.
The ruling triggered an unsuccessful motion of censure against von der Leyen at the European Parliament.
