The European Commission believes that its President, Ursula von der Leyen, did not have to retain a message about the EU-Mercosur trade agreement sent to her by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, in late January 2024 using the Signal app, in a decision adopted in late July in response to a request from the investigative media outlet Follow the Money.
According to the EU institution, the content of Mr Macron’s message reiterates France’s well-known position on the EU-Mercosur trade agreement and does not involve any particular follow-up on the part of the Commission. In addition, it adds, Ms von der Leyen has activated the feature on her work phone for messages to disappear after a certain time, in accordance with internal guidelines drawn up in 2022.
It is interesting to note that, in line with the EU General Court’s ruling last May on the exchange of SMS messages between Ms von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer (see EUROPE 13640/1), the Commission clearly specifies what type of action was taken internally to trace Mr Macron’s message, and in particular the search carried out by Ms von der Leyen’s head of cabinet. The latter acknowledges the existence of the Signal message and is of the opinion that this message does not constitute a document that must be retained, insofar as it has no administrative or legal consequences.
According to our information, the Commission has not appealed against the General Court’s ruling.
See the Commission’s decision: https://aeur.eu/f/i7s (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)