Ref. Ares(2022)219134 - 12/01/2022
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
SECRETARIAT-GENERAL
Directorate D - Twin Transition, Economic & Social Affairs
SG.D.1 - Digital Transition, Industry & Single Market
Brussels
SG.D.1/OG
Naomi Hirst
Global Witness
53 rue Belliard
1000 Bruxelles
Belgique
Email: request-10373-
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
Dear Sir,
Subject:
Your application for access to documents – GESTDEM 2021/8069
We refer to your request of 10 December for access to documents, registered under the
above-mentioned reference numbers.
You request access to all documents—including but not limited to correspondence,
emails, minutes, notes (hand written or electronic), audio or video recordings, verbatim
reports, operational conclusions, lines to take, briefings, and presentations—related to the
meeting on 2021-11-17 between Renate Nikolay and Facebook Ireland Limited.
Concerning your application, we identified the following document:
- Flash report – Meeting Meta/Facebook on 17/11/2021, Ares(2021)7800967
With regard to the documents listed above, a complete disclosure of the identified
documents is prevented by the exception concerning the protection of privacy and the
integrity of the individual outlined in Article 4(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001,
because they contain personal data.
Article 9(1)(b) of the Data Protection Regulation does not allow the transmission of these
personal data, except if you prove that it is necessary to have the data transmitted to you
for a specific purpose in the public interest and where there is no reason to assume that
the legitimate interests of the data subject might be prejudiced. In your request, you do not
express any particular interest to have access to these personal data nor do you put forward
any arguments to establish the necessity to have the data transmitted for a specific purpose
in the public interest.
Consequently, I conclude that, pursuant to Article 4(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No
1049/2001, access cannot be granted to the personal data contained in the requested
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111
documents, as the need to obtain access thereto for a purpose in the public interest has not
been substantiated and there is no reason to think that the legitimate interests of the
individuals concerned would not be prejudiced by disclosure of the personal data concerned.
This document was drawn up for internal use. It solely reflects the authors’ interpretation
of the interventions made and does not set out any official position of the third parties to
which the documents refers, which was not consulted on its content. It does not reflect
the position of the Commission and cannot be quoted as such.
In case you would disagree with this position, you are entitled, in accordance with Article
7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, to submit a confirmatory application requesting the
Commission to review this position.
Such a confirmatory application should be addressed within 15 working days upon receipt
of this letter to the Secretariat-General of the Commission at the following address:
European Commission
Secretariat-General
Unit C.1. ‘Transparency, Document Management and Access to Documents’
BERL 7/076
B-1049 Brussels, or by email to:
xxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
Yours faithfully,
Electronically signed
Olivier GIRARD
Head of Unit
2
Electronically signed on 12/01/2022 17:40 (UTC+01) in accordance with article 11 of Commission Decision C(2020) 4482
