I asked to see Ursula von der Leyen’s texts to Pfizer’s boss and she went to court to stop me. Why the secrecy? | Alexander Fanta

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen personally exchanged calls and texts with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the height of the Covid pandemic in early 2021 .

The EU spent an estimated 21.5bn ( 17.9bn ) on an exclusive deal with the Pfizer for up to 1.8bn doses of vaccine.

The deal was secured by Von Der Leyen after her text offensive, as she later told the New York Times .

German conservative has led the EU executive for almost five years .

Her reluctance to have the public interfere with her personal communication completely undermines that promise.

It empowers those who prefer strongman politics to democratic accountability.

In the long run, limiting transparency will make it easier for authoritarian leaders to claim the EU does not have a leg to stand on.