European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen makes a statement during an official visit to the Pfizer pharmaceutical company in Puurs, Belgium, Friday, April 23, 2021. (source: TASR/AP/John Thys)
Slovak politicians have reacted with a mix of condemnation, cautious support, and calls for accountability following a damning court ruling against the European Commission over its handling of Covid-19 vaccine procurement.
Prime Minister Robert Fico on Saturday seized on the judgement by the EU General Court in Luxembourg – which found that the Commission had unlawfully withheld text messages between its president, Ursula von der Leyen, and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla – to question Brussels’ moral authority.
“This is a problem for the entire European Commission,” Fico said, describing the scandal, dubbed Pfizergate, as a “serious failure” that, in “other political systems”, would lead to resignations. The messages are believed to concern what was the EU’s largest vaccine purchase, reportedly worth €20 billion. “When the Commission next sends us a report on the rule of law and tells us what we’re doing wrong, how seriously should we take it?” Fico asked, accusing Brussels of hypocrisy and referring to what he described as the EU’s previous inaction on alleged abuses in Slovakia while he was in opposition (2020–2023).
According to Fico, the ruling is serious enough to warrant resignations within the Commission.
Opposition leader Michal Šimečka, head of the liberal Progressive Slovakia party, struck a more measured tone. Speaking in a televised interview on Sunday, he said the Commission president should fully comply with the court’s ruling. “The process should have been transparent from the beginning,” he said, noting that while the affair had damaged public trust in the EU, the coordinated procurement of vaccines had likely saved lives in Slovakia. He suggested that von der Leyen should request a vote of confidence from the European Parliament.
Calls for stronger action were echoed by Slovakia’s Members of the European Parliament. Martin Hojsík (Progressive Slovakia) described the verdict as “a victory for transparency”, repeating longstanding calls for the Commission to release the Pfizer-related communications. “Even when it comes to SMS messages, access to information is vital for democracy,” he told the national news agency TASR.
Milan Uhrík of the far-right Republika party and Branislav Ondruš of Hlas both called for von der Leyen’s immediate resignation. “Her presence at the top of the EU discredits the institution,” Uhrík said. Ondruš argued the ruling confirmed his campaign claims of non-transparent conduct.
Monika Beňová, an MEP for Fico’s Smer party, urged von der Leyen to appear before Parliament with a full explanation. “If there’s no accountability, the Commission loses all moral standing to judge member states,” she said.
MEP Miriam Lexmann (KDH) said the ruling underscored how secrecy in sensitive matters “undermines trust”, which she called essential to democracy.
The case centres on the EU’s largest Covid-19 vaccine deal. The Commission had rejected a freedom of information request by The New York Times journalist Matina Stevis-Gridneff to access text messages between von der Leyen and Bourla, arguing they were not officially recorded. The General Court ruled that the Commission had failed to conduct a proper search and did not fulfil its transparency obligations. The Commission has the right to appeal.
