Pfizergate: Senator Keogan Slams Lack of EU Transparency Over Vaccine Deals

Pfizergate: Senator Keogan Slams Lack of EU Transparency Over Vaccine Deals

By Aaron Joyce | LTT Media | 20 May 2025

In a powerful address to Seanad Éireann on Tuesday, Independent Senator Sharon Keogan took aim at what she called a “deep and dangerous lack of accountability” within the European Union’s institutions over secretive COVID-19 vaccine procurement deals — a controversy now widely known as “Pfizergate.”

Senator Keogan’s speech focused sharply on the behind-the-scenes negotiations between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, which resulted in one of the EU’s largest vaccine contracts at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a betrayal of democratic process,” Keogan said, calling out the Commission’s failure to disclose communications — including text messages between von der Leyen and Bourla — that allegedly formed the basis of a multi-billion-euro vaccine agreement.

Missing Messages, Missing Accountability

In 2021, reports surfaced that von der Leyen and Bourla had exchanged a series of text messages prior to the EU’s third and most expensive COVID-19 vaccine deal with Pfizer — a deal for 1.8 billion doses, costing over €35 billion. However, the Commission later claimed these messages were not archived and could not be retrieved — a response that sparked public outcry and prompted legal action.

Senator Keogan said this evasiveness “sets a dangerous precedent” for EU governance and public trust. “When decisions are made that affect the lives and liberties of nearly 450 million people, it is not only reasonable — it is essential — that the public be given full transparency,” she declared.

Legal and Media Pressure

The scandal escalated when The New York Times launched a lawsuit against the European Commission in 2023, demanding the release of the messages under freedom of information law. The EU's opaque handling of the matter only deepened suspicions and led to further calls for institutional reform.

Keogan also criticised the European Parliament’s Public Health Committee for its failure to press for clarity. “Instead of acting as watchdogs, too many MEPs have become lapdogs,” she said. “It is shameful that such far-reaching contracts were handled via text and that no proper paper trail exists.”

Democratic Principles at Stake

The Senator warned that allowing unelected officials to make sweeping decisions in the shadows undermines the very foundation of European democracy. “Citizens expect checks and balances. They expect records. They expect responsibility. What we have seen instead is a culture of secrecy and impunity.”

She called on Irish representatives and EU members alike to demand a full public inquiry into the dealings and to ensure that all future contracts of this scale are subject to parliamentary oversight.

What Comes Next?

Although public outrage and investigative reporting have kept the issue in the spotlight, there has yet to be meaningful accountability. No resignations have occurred. No contracts have been renegotiated. And the text messages — now emblematic of the scandal — remain missing.

Keogan closed her speech by urging Ireland to “stand firm for transparency, for truth, and for the people we represent.”

“The EU must not be allowed to evolve into a corporate playground where decisions are made behind closed doors, with no oversight, no record, and no consequences,” she said.

A Growing Movement

As momentum builds behind campaigns for medical freedom, vaccine injury compensation, and transparency in public health spending, Keogan’s remarks signal a shift in Ireland’s political discourse — one that demands truth and accountability from the highest levels of power.