Following a Formal complaint filed with his office, O’Reilly had asked the European Commission to launch a search for all the documents related to the subject.
In a letter signed by the Vice President of the Commission Vera Jourovathe institution replied that it did not find relevant elements and suggested that text messages do not fit within the definition of “document” to justify its file.
For the Ombudsman, the Commission’s reaction in this case “does not meet expectations in terms of transparency” on public access to the institution’s documents.
The case broke out in April 2021 after the American newspaper New York Times published an article about how the Commission had sealed the agreements with the American pharmaceutical company for the purchase of coronavirus vaccines.
A journalist sued O’Reilly’s office to grant access to von der Leyen’s text messages. The Commission agreed to transmit the relevant documents but did not include those messages, at one point even refusing to confirm their existence.
According to the Commission, the text messages “due to their ephemeral nature, do not initially contain important information regarding the policies, activities and decisions” of the institution.
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
