99 issues
The so-called “Piepergate” affair provides to a rising checklist of potential issues for von der Leyen as she seeks a second time period. This comes simply days after POLITICO revealed that the European Public Prosecutor’s Workplace had opened an investigation into its use of textual content messages to barter main vaccine procurement contracts throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
Investigators from the European Public Prosecutor’s Workplace are actually investigating von der Leyen for “interference in public workplace, destruction of textual content messages, corruption and battle of curiosity,” in accordance with authorized paperwork seen by POLITICO and a spokesperson for the Liège public prosecutor’s workplace.
The investigation focuses on an alleged alternate of textual content messages between von der Leyen and Pfizer boss Albert Bourla within the run-up to the EU’s largest vaccine deal price an estimated 20 billion euros, on the top of the Covid-19 pandemic, in a case known as “Pfizergate”.
The New York Instances, which first revealed that the alternate passed off whereas the 2 leaders had been discussing the phrases of the deal, launched a parallel authorized motion towards the Fee after it refused to reveal the content material of messages following a request for entry to paperwork. .
Von der Leyen was additionally criticized for her dealing with of a visit to Israel shortly after the October 7 assaults, which Borrell and different senior EU officers mentioned had exceeded her authority as head of the European govt as a result of they mentioned she had not consulted EU capitals. earlier than going. On the time, the president’s workplace was pressured to reply by letter to a petition signed by dozens of European officers criticizing his resolution to go to Israel.
The Fee president has to date sought to cling to the advantages of his mandate, thus avoiding the day by day political brawl. Though she received the EPP nomination on March 7, she solely revealed her marketing campaign crew earlier this week, and a speech meant to mark the official launch of her marketing campaign, which she delivered in Athens on final weekend, failed to realize vital media protection.
Politico
