Ombudsman investigates Macron's text message to von der Leyen, Commission has deleted it

The European Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the European Commission's handling of the disclosure of a text message sent by French President Emmanuel Macron to Ursula von der Leyen via the Signal app in January 2024.

According to Euronews, Macron expressed concerns about the EU-Mercosur agreement and its consequences for French farmers. When journalist Alexander Fanta requested the message be made public in May this year, the Commission acknowledged its existence but described it as a reiteration of France's well-known position with no legal effect on the Commission.

It explained that the message had not been archived but automatically deleted due to the “disappearing messages” feature being activated. The request was therefore rejected.

Fanta claims that the message had a clear influence on the negotiations and should have been preserved. The Ombudsman is now investigating whether the Commission acted in accordance with transparency rules.

The case is reminiscent of “Pfizergate,” when the Commission refused to disclose messages between von der Leyen and the Pfizer CEO, which are said to have been negotiated directly with CEO Albert Bourla for vaccines worth €2.4 billion.

Critics argue that the use of disappearing messages undermines public trust and circumvents the obligation to retain politically relevant documents. The EU Commission, on the other hand, defends the practice as a measure against leaks and for the efficient management of phone memory.

(max)