During Tuesday’s meeting of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (LIBE), MEPs almost unanimously adopted a draft report on public access to European Union documents for the years 2022–2024. One of the shadow rapporteurs for the document was Law and Justice MEP Jadwiga Wiśniewska, who throughout the proceedings consistently called for genuine—rather than merely declarative—transparency in the European Commission’s activities.
The adopted report explicitly points to a systemic problem of a lack of transparency in the activities of the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen, as well as to violations of EU citizens’ right to access information. The document is unequivocally critical and constitutes a serious indictment of the way the European Commission operates.
As a prime example of these practices, the report cites the scandal involving the concealment of text messages exchanged between Ursula von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer. Despite repeated requests for access to documents, the European Commission has refused to disclose information regarding vaccine procurement negotiations conducted in bypassing established procedures, via private messages. MEPs point out that both the European Ombudsman and the European Parliament have criticized these actions, and the Court of Justice of the European Union has unequivocally ruled that the refusal to disclose this information was contrary to EU law.
The report indicates that the SMS message case is not an isolated incident but part of a broader, systemic problem. The European Commission persistently and excessively classifies official documents, unjustifiably refuses to provide information, delays the publication of key documents, and fails to ensure adequate transparency in the area of public procurement. At the same time, the document highlights the lack of concrete and effective measures on the part of the European Commission that could lead to an improvement in this situation.
MEPs point out that the Treaties of the European Union oblige the European Commission to make decisions in a transparent manner and guarantee EU citizens the right to accurate, reliable, and complete information about the activities of EU institutions. Access to information is crucial for countering disinformation and for building trust and democratic legitimacy in EU institutions.
As MEP Jadwiga Wiśniewska emphasizes, the adoption of the report in the LIBE Committee is yet another clear signal of the European Parliament’s opposition to the actions of the von der Leyen Commission. “Following the referral of the Mercosur agreement to the Court of Justice of the European Union, this is another ‘yellow card’ shown by the European Parliament, the only EU institution directly elected by citizens,” — noted the ECR’s shadow rapporteur.
