• About
  • Contact
  • Donate/Support
  • Subscribe
Mansa Banko Online
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
  • Agric
  • Business
  • Health
  • Politics
  • Science/Tech
  • More
    • Education
    • Human Rights
    • Sports
    • Energy
    • Environment
    • Migration
    • Opinion
    • Tourism
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Agric
  • Business
  • Health
  • Politics
  • Science/Tech
  • More
    • Education
    • Human Rights
    • Sports
    • Energy
    • Environment
    • Migration
    • Opinion
    • Tourism
No Result
View All Result
Mansa Banko Online
No Result
View All Result
Home News

European Commission President’s text messages are documents and can be requested says Ombudsman

Press Release by Press Release
January 30, 2022
in News
0
European Commission President’s text messages are documents and can be requested says Ombudsman
0
SHARES
59
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Madrid / Brussels, 28 January 2022 – Access Info has hailed today’s decision by the European Ombudsman that the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s text messages with the CEO of Pfizer about Covid vaccine purchases are documents to which the public can request access.

Access Info is calling for an urgent reform to ensure that the EU’s twenty-year-old access to documents rules are brought into line with the digital age.

Rather remarkably, the European Commission had told Alexander Fanta, a journalist with netzpolitik.org, that because it does not register text messages, these cannot be requested.

This refusal came to a request made on 4 May 2021 via Access Info’s AsktheEU.org platform, soon after President von der Leyen herself told the New York Times in April 2021 about the text exchanges. It is clear that the messages were relevant to the decision-making process.

The European Commission has been sticking to a clear line of refusing to consider text messages as documents, telling MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld on 18 January 2022 that text messages are “short-lived and ephemeral” in nature and therefore “neither qualify as a document subject to the Commission record-keeping policy nor are they falling within the scope of Regulation 1049/2001 on access to documents.” Ms in ‘t Veld immediately wrote to the European Ombudsman expressing serious concern about the consequences of this approach.

In her 28 January 2022 decision, European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly makes clear that the rules define documents as “any content whatever its medium (written on paper or stored in electronic form or as a sound, visual or audiovisual recording) concerning a matter relating to the policies, activities and decisions falling within the institution’s sphere of responsibility.”

Access Info notes that in this case it was particularly important that they text messages be accessible given that they related to Europe’s number one priority at the time, namely the purchase of Covid vaccines to combat a pandemic that has claimed the lives of at least one million Europeans to date.

Helen Darbishire, Executive Director of Access Info said:

There is a clear need to reform and clarify the EU’s access to documents rules so that we don’t have this kind of problem again in the future. We see widespread resistance to apply the regulation to anything that isn’t a document in the traditional classical sense.

I sometimes feel that European officials would prefer that documents are still written on parchment and sealed with wax, but the reality is that decisions get taken following email, WhatsApp, and text exchanges, and the transparency rules must apply to all these exchanges.  

Alexander Fanta, the journalist who took the complaint to the European Ombudsman, stated:

I strongly urge the Commission to comply with the Ombudsman’s recommendations. Even Ursula von der Leyen’s phone must not be beyond public scrutiny if it is used to cut billion euro deals with pharma giants. Important documents regarding such deals can and must be disclosed to the public if the Commission wants to avoid political backlash.

The Commission has until 26 April 2022 to conduct a search for the requested documents and to respond to the European Ombudsman.

For more information, please contact:

Helen Darbishire | Executive Director | helen@access-info.org

Mobile / WhatsApp [of course!] : +34 667 685 319

Tags: DocumentsEmailEuropean UnionText messagesWhatsApp
Previous Post

Kombo Real Estate officials Speak on ‘Kombo Power’ As Company Launches Cashpower Sales Project

Next Post

GID Inaugurates New Border Post in Sabi with IOM, Japan Support

Press Release

Press Release

Press Release(s) published herein do not represent Mansa Banko Online views in any way. Nothing posted here should be considered official or sanctioned by my employer or any other organization Mansa Banko Online is affiliated with.

Related Posts

Two Women Leaders to Unveil Amazon Best-Selling Book on Modern Leadership in The Gambia
News

Two Women Leaders to Unveil Amazon Best-Selling Book on Modern Leadership in The Gambia

by M.E Njie
May 11, 2025
EU YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROJECT (YEP) – TOURISM AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES LAUNCH TO CREATE JOBS FOR WOMEN AND YOUTH
News

EU YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROJECT (YEP) – TOURISM AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES LAUNCH TO CREATE JOBS FOR WOMEN AND YOUTH

by Press Release
February 17, 2025
GYIN Gambia and Doorways to Train 30 Youth Entrepreneurs on Personal Initiative (PI)
News

GYIN Gambia and Doorways to Train 30 Youth Entrepreneurs on Personal Initiative (PI)

by Press Release
February 14, 2025
COMHAFAT and COMAIP Sign Memorandum of Understanding to enhance sustainable fishing in Africa
News

COMHAFAT and COMAIP Sign Memorandum of Understanding to enhance sustainable fishing in Africa

by M.E Njie
February 5, 2025
Sunu Reew, Silicon Valley African Film Festival collaborate to bring health and promote arts in Gambia
News

Sunu Reew, Silicon Valley African Film Festival collaborate to bring health and promote arts in Gambia

by M.E Njie
February 4, 2025
Next Post
GID Inaugurates New Border Post in Sabi with IOM, Japan Support

GID Inaugurates New Border Post in Sabi with IOM, Japan Support

Latest Post

Botswana to Host the 21st RUFORUM Annual General Meeting

Botswana to Host the 21st RUFORUM Annual General Meeting

June 1, 2025
Two Women Leaders to Unveil Amazon Best-Selling Book on Modern Leadership in The Gambia

Two Women Leaders to Unveil Amazon Best-Selling Book on Modern Leadership in The Gambia

May 11, 2025
RUFORUM SEEKS TO BOOST AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES WITH CUTTING-EDGE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

RUFORUM SEEKS TO BOOST AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES WITH CUTTING-EDGE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

May 6, 2025
EU YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROJECT (YEP) – TOURISM AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES LAUNCH TO CREATE JOBS FOR WOMEN AND YOUTH

EU YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROJECT (YEP) – TOURISM AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES LAUNCH TO CREATE JOBS FOR WOMEN AND YOUTH

February 17, 2025
GYIN Gambia and Doorways to Train 30 Youth Entrepreneurs on Personal Initiative (PI)

GYIN Gambia and Doorways to Train 30 Youth Entrepreneurs on Personal Initiative (PI)

February 14, 2025
Sunu Reew Medical Mission donates medical equipment to EFSTH

Sunu Reew Medical Mission donates medical equipment to EFSTH

February 11, 2025
COMHAFAT and COMAIP Sign Memorandum of Understanding to enhance sustainable fishing in Africa

COMHAFAT and COMAIP Sign Memorandum of Understanding to enhance sustainable fishing in Africa

February 5, 2025

Browse by Tags

AfDB Africa Agriculture Banjul business Children Climate Change Covid-19 COVID19 Development ECOWAS Education EU European Union FAO Farmers Finance Food Food Security Gambia Garden Government GYIN Gambia Health Human Rights IFAD Market Migration National Assembly Nigeria People Poultry Poverty Project Rice Rural Senegal The Gambia Trade United Nations Water Women World Bank YEP Youth

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Business
  • Crime
  • Education
  • Energy
  • Environment
  • FAO
  • Health
  • Human Rights
  • IFAD
  • Migration
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • Science/Tech
  • Security
  • Sports
  • Tourism
  • Youth

Browse by Tag

AfDB Africa Agriculture Banjul business Children Climate Change Covid-19 COVID19 Development ECOWAS Education EU European Union FAO Farmers Finance Food Food Security Gambia Garden Government GYIN Gambia Health Human Rights IFAD Market Migration National Assembly Nigeria People Poultry Poverty Project Rice Rural Senegal The Gambia Trade United Nations Water Women World Bank YEP Youth

Recent Posts

  • Botswana to Host the 21st RUFORUM Annual General Meeting
  • Two Women Leaders to Unveil Amazon Best-Selling Book on Modern Leadership in The Gambia
  • RUFORUM SEEKS TO BOOST AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES WITH CUTTING-EDGE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
  • About
  • Contact
  • Donate/Support
  • Subscribe

Facebook Page

Facebook Page
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

© 2020 Mansa Banko Online | Powered by Faalen Technologies.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Agric
  • Business
  • Health
  • Politics
  • Science/Tech
  • More
    • Education
    • Human Rights
    • Sports
    • Energy
    • Environment
    • Migration
    • Opinion
    • Tourism

© 2020 Mansa Banko Online | Powered by Faalen Technologies.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?