European Commission rejects calls to stop deleting von der Leyen’s messages

The European Commission has rejected recommendations from the EU Ombudsman, Teresa Anjinho, to stop the automatic deletion of text and Signal messages used by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Following a finding of a “maladministration” in June, Anjinho requested that high-ranking officials disable the “disappearing messages” function and preserve communications when access requests are made. The Commission has declined these changes, citing cybersecurity concerns. Officials argued that preserving messages for the duration of potential legal or information requests—which can take up to two years—is incompatible with necessary IT security measures.

The Commission also emphasized the need for the President and member state leaders to communicate in an atmosphere of “mutual trust and confidentiality.” The practice of using disappearing messages has been part of an internal Commission guideline since 2022 to prevent leaks. This dispute follows an incident where a message from French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the Mercosur trade agreement could not be retrieved because it had been automatically deleted.