(MENAFN) Reports indicate that EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been the target of mockery by a group of lawmakers who suggested she be provided with a phone that has greater memory capacity. The proposal comes amid longstanding scrutiny over von der Leyen’s history of losing hundreds of messages that were considered crucial for oversight of multi-billion euro deals.

During her tenure as Germany’s defense minister, von der Leyen reportedly deleted or “lost” hundreds of messages related to negotiating a 700-million-euro contract, as well as communications linked to a 35-billion-euro ($40 billion) Covid-19 vaccine deal with Pfizer. More recently, her office declined to release messages with French President Emmanuel Macron, in which he reportedly urged her to block a trade agreement between the EU and the South American Mercosur bloc. European Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho has launched an investigation into the failure to retain these important communications.

The Commission explained that the texts, sent via the Signal app, were automatically deleted for various reasons, including storage limitations.

The proposed amendment, led by German MEP Christine Anderson and Swedish MEP Charlie Weimers, calls for “adequate funding to provide the President of the Commission with a mobile phone with sufficient storage capacity and appropriate IT support to ensure that all messages are preserved without exception.” The measure has been co-signed by 57 MEPs, mostly from right-wing parties, in what was described as a stunt intended to “troll” von der Leyen.

The EU’s Court of Justice has previously ruled that official communications on personal devices must be properly archived, prompting the Commission to review its protocols in response.

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