The current Ombudsman recently opened an investigation against Ursula von der Leyen regarding her negotiation of the Mercosur agreement via SMS, with the messages no longer being saved.
Justice & Anti-CorruptionEuropean Union
- Omissions
- The investigation specifically concerns text messages exchanged between Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the Mercosur deal, not SMS negotiations in general.
- The current Ombudsman is Teresa Anjinho, who took office in 2025, succeeding Emily O'Reilly.
- The investigation was opened in September 2025 (specifically announced on September 22, 2025), which while 'recent' relative to March 2026, is a specific timeframe that could have been mentioned.
- The Commission has acknowledged that von der Leyen's phone has auto-delete functionality activated 'for space reasons', which is the context for the 'messages no longer being saved' element.
- Sources
- PrimaryEuropean Ombudsman - Official WebsiteOmbudswoman opens inquiry into how Commission handled access request for text message concerning Mercosur negotiations (September 22, 2025)
- SecondaryEuronewsA text message sent by Emmanuel Macron to Ursula von der Leyen is at the centre of an investigation by the European Ombudsman
- SecondaryEunewsThe European Ombudsman launched an investigation into the EU executive's handling of a request for access to some messages exchanged between von der Leyen and Macron
- SecondaryPOLITICO EuropeThe messages [of Commission President von der Leyen] are auto-deleted after a while, just for space reasons, Commission spokesperson confirmed