Von der Leyen’s secret texts with Pfizer
Update: 2025-09-10
Description
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission struck a multi-billion-euro deal with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer for vaccine doses. In preparations to the deal, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen texted with the company’s CEO, Albert Bourla. But when journalist Alexander Fanta requested access to those messages, the Commission refused – and they have still never seen the light of day.
In this episode, we are joined by journalist Lise Witteman to unpack Pfizergate: the scandal that has dogged von der Leyen’s presidency.
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https://www.ftm.eu/articles/new-york-times-lawsuit-european-commission
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/ursula-von-der-leyen-text-messages
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/who-is-suing-von-der-leyen
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/pfizergate-hearing-eu-general-court
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-signal-group-confirmed-transparency-rules
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/interview-eu-court-sms-von-der-leyen
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/pfizergate-ruling-general-court-eu
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/pfizergate-text-messages-deleted-after-access-request
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In this episode, we are joined by journalist Lise Witteman to unpack Pfizergate: the scandal that has dogged von der Leyen’s presidency.
Related stories ➪
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/new-york-times-lawsuit-european-commission
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/ursula-von-der-leyen-text-messages
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/who-is-suing-von-der-leyen
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/pfizergate-hearing-eu-general-court
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-signal-group-confirmed-transparency-rules
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/interview-eu-court-sms-von-der-leyen
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/pfizergate-ruling-general-court-eu
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/pfizergate-text-messages-deleted-after-access-request
Follow the podcast
https://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcast
Follow FTM on social media:
Instagram ➪ https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/
BlueSky ➪ https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.eu
LinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/
Become a member and support independent investigative journalism!
https://www.ftm.eu/subscribe
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