Ref. Ares(2022)2060077 - 21/03/2022
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS, CONTENT AND
TECHNOLOGY
Resources and Support
Compliance and Planning
Brussels
CNECT.R.4
Alexander Fanta
netzpolitik.org e.V.
Schönhauser Allee 6-7
10119 Berlin
Germany
Per e-mail only:
ask+request-10778-
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
Subject:
Your request for access to documents - GestDem 2022/1252
Dear Mr Fanta,
We refer to your email of 1 March 2022 with which you introduced a request for access
to documents, registered on the same day under the above-mentioned reference number.
By your application, you requested access to the following:
‘[…]
Under the right of access to documents in the EU treaties, as developed in
Regulation 1049/2001, I am requesting documents which contain the following
information:
- All documents explicitly mentioning or otherwise relating to the practice of crypto-
currency mining, as well as relating to the energy consumption of crypto-currencies
such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. My request includes all communication with other EU
officials, member state officials and stakeholders on the subject, including e-mails and
minutes of meetings and briefing notes. This specifically is meant to include meeting
minutes and follow-up exchanges on a call with Swedish and German officials on
February 3, 2022.[...]’
On 14 March 2022 we contacted you via email (our reference Ares(2022)1868389) to
point you to the fact that parts of your request for access to documents under GestDem
2022/1252 overlap with your previous request GestDem 2022/0079 introduced on 6
January 2022, for which a confirmatory application is currently pending with the
Secretariat-General. We therefore asked for your agreement to limit your request for
access to documents GestDem 2022/1252 to the newly introduced part ‘[t]
his specifically
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
is meant to include meeting minutes and follow-up exchanges on a call with Swedish and
German officials on February 3, 2022.’ which does not overlap with your previous
request GestDem 2022/0079. In your reply of 15 March 2022 you informed us that you
agree to proceed in the proposed manner.
After limiting the request as set out above, we have identified the following document as
falling within the scope of your request:
Initiative on bitcoin/proof of work meeting held on 3 February 2022
(Ares(2022)1893225) (
Document 1)
Please find enclosed a copy of the identified document.
You may reuse public documents, which have been produced by the European
Commission or by public and private entities on its behalf based on the
Commission
Decision on the reuse of Commission documents. You may reuse the document disclosed
free of charge and for non-commercial and commercial purposes provided that the source
is acknowledged and that you do not distort the original meaning or message of the
documents. Please note that the Commission does not assume liability stemming from
the reuse.
The identified document was drawn up for internal use under the responsibility of the
relevant services of DG CONNECT. It solely reflects the services’ interpretation of the
interventions made and does not set out any official position of the third parties to which
the document refers, which was not consulted on its content. It does not reflect the
position of the Commission and cannot be quoted as such.
Yours faithfully,
Electronically signed
Martin Schauer
Head of Unit
Enclosure:
(1)
2
Electronically signed on 21/03/2022 16:29 (UTC+01) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121