A leaked letter from the plaintiff at the center of the Pfizergate affair, seen by Euronews, is demanding that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen step down from her position, along with all other commissioners. The letter follows the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on Wednesday morning, May 14th, finding the European Commission guilty of violating transparency rules.
In the letter, addressed to all 27 EU heads of state and Manfred Weber, the president of von der Leyen’s European People’s Party (EPP), the plaintiff’s lawyer urged leaders “to refer the [Pfizergate] matter to the Court of Justice so that it may order the compulsory resignation and forfeiture of pension rights not only of Mrs von der Leyen but also of all the European Commissioners who make up her Commission.” The letter was written before today’s conviction.
Beyond this, the plaintiff also called on “the European People’s Party to withdraw the candidacy of Ms. von der Leyen for the post of President of the European Commission” as well as “prohibiting anyone from presenting the candidature of Mrs. von der Leyen to the post of President of the European Commission or any other post within the European institutions as long as she is the subject of criminal proceedings.”
The legal basis cited includes Article 245 and Article 247 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), concerning conduct incompatible with official duties and serious misconduct, respectively.
“It is clear that Mrs. von der Leyen and the members of her Commission are no longer in a position to perform their duties,” the letter states, arguing this “violates the principle of good administration provided for in Article 41 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights.” It concludes: “This situation must be remedied as a matter of urgency.”
