March 2024 – Anna Van Densky blog

Strasbourg 14.03.2024 Complaints against the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen accumulate. This time the Member of the European Parliament joint the voices of discontent, pointing to her neglect of rules the EU institution is so eager to impose on others. Ursula von der Leyen start of the competition for the second mandate was marked with a “faux pas” or a misstep, evident to many. The EU top executive started to use the resources and possibilities at hand of her powerful position to engage in self-promotion for the second mandate.

However the reality showed the opposite, and on March 7 a complaint from a French Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Jean-Paul Garraud was filed to European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly on non-compliance with the “article 10 of the Code of Conduct for Commissioners by the President of the Commission European, Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen”. As a MEP, but also as a professional jurist, Garraud expressed his “deep concern regarding respect for the principles of integrity and neutrality” which had to guide the action of all European commissioners, in accordance with Article 10 of the Code of Conduct of
commissioners, but clearly in case of Ursula von der Leyen was ignored. (The original of the letter above).

Apparently Ursula von der Leyen, incumbent President of the Commission European and candidate for a new mandate put forward by the European People’s party, recently published a glorious assessment of her mandate on the site of the European Commission.
This self-gratification raises serious questions about misusing of human and material resources of the European Commission for “purposes linked to its electoral campaign”, which would be in direct violation of Article 10 of the Code of Conduct for Commissioners. “This article clearly states the prohibition of using Commission resources for campaign activities”, Garraud underlines. Wishing to be re-elected at the head of the European Commission the president-candidate used the site of the European institutions to promote a 56-page document “devoted to her own glory” as MEP ironically remarked.

“The trust of European citizens is essential for the proper functioning and legitimacy of institutions
European. It is therefore essential to ensure that all EU representatives and commissioners act in accordance full compliance with established ethical and conduct rules, thus guaranteeing equal treatment
between all candidates and preserving the integrity of our institutions” the MEP continues.
The text of the complaint to OLAF (depicted) resumes in a request of the investigation of the matter to ensure that Ursula von der Leyen campaign for re-election is conducted within the frame of existing rules in full respect of the Code of Conduct.

Jean-Paul Garraud is a French politician who has raised to prominence in his status as an accomplished jurist. After a long and illustrious professional career within the French justice system, this native of Toulouse turned to political life. He earned his stripes in the UMP as a French deputy where he was distinguished for his work in the National Assembly as rapporteur of several significant bills.

Nowadays Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is being sued in the Belgian courts over controversial private text messages exchanged with Albert Bourla, CEO of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. The President of the Commission stands accused of having acted subjectively, through private wheeling and dealing, without a mandate from the EU Member States. The Commission attempted to defend the boss while saying that the messages were deleted because they were deemed to be of a ‘short-lived and ephemeral nature’ and devoid of ‘important information relating to policies, activities and decisions of the Commission’. This attitude has disappointed many, demonstrating an absence of any inclination for co-operation.

In spite of the evident public concern the Commission explanations expose the serious lack of transparency surrounding these private negotiations, which led to a purchase of Pfizer products for an
amount of €35bn. The negotiations conducted via texts attracted also keen attention of the New York Times newspaper, which resulted in a lawsuit.

The request from the New York Times, the first media outlet to reveal the SMS affair in April 2021, was filed on January 25, 2023 and has been visible since February 13 on the public register of the Court of Justice of the European Communities . (Pictured with Albert Bourla)

One more similar lawsuit was filed by a Belgian activist who started legal action against Ursula von der Leyen for causing financial damage to the Belgian state by negotiating the joint procurement of COVID-19 vaccines by text messages, local media reported.

Frederic Baldan, a lobbyist officially accredited to EU institutions, sued von der Leyen for causing financial damage to the Belgian state when she secured a €35 billion ($38.4 billion) deal with pharma company Pfizer to buy 1.8 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for EU countries, Belgian weekly Le Vif reported.

Brussels 03.03.2024 The German authorities are looking forward to the results of an investigation into a leaked conversation of Germany’s top officials about a perspective attack on the Crimean Bridge with the use of Taurus missiles. Bild am Sonntag reported the conclusions of this research will be published soon.
Earlier Russian media claimed it had obtained a 40 minutes long secret conversation between German Air Force Commander Ingo Gerhartz and other senior officers about the supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine. Boris Pistorius said the released recording revealed officers discussing various scenarios and did not mean a “green light” for the transfer of Taurus missiles to Kiev.

According to the newspaper, the government intends to find out how the leak has occurred in a matter of days and then decide on appropriate measures. German Spiegel magazine ensures that first analyses show that the footage released is authentic.

Since this incident involves national security, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has taken it upon himself to make a decision, the newspaper said. He wishes to discuss potential measures with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

On Friday, March 1, Scholz gave assurances that NATO was not now and would not in the future be directly involved in the Ukraine conflict.

However he leak of German military conversations about the attack on the Crimean bridge with a Taurus missile is explosive, – Tagesschau TV channel:
▪️The officers conferred before a briefing for Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. The questions on the agenda were whether the Taurus could technically destroy the bridge, whether Kyiv would be able to carry out an attack without the participation of the Bundeswehr, and how long it might take to train the Ukrainians to work with these missiles.
▪️The recording shows that there is no green light from Berlin for the supply of cruise missiles. It says that first Germany can supply 50 missiles, and then another 50. But this is just speculation about the possibilities. The main result is a hole in the country’s security system. The media are asking the question: “how did Russia get the recording, was it a targeted interception? Did the fact that one of the participants in the conversation lived in a hotel in Singapore play a role?”
▪️The CDU party has already stated that it is necessary to investigate how Russian spies obtained phone numbers and “how they were able to gain access to this conference.”
▪️Russia’s main goal in the publication is to confirm that Germany has long been a participant in the confrontation in Ukraine and is deeply involved in the conflict, contrary to Berlin’s claims. The investigation is ongoing. – RVvoenkor reports.