Ref. Ares(2021)4769750 - 26/07/2021
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL
TAXATION AND CUSTOMS UNION
International and General Affairs
Inter-institutional relations, coordination, communication and strategic planning
Brussels,
Taxud E2/Svdv – taxud.e.2(2021)4774930
Mrs Venetia Roxburgh
40 Bermondsey Street
UK – London
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
(via e-mail mail)
Dear Mrs Roxburgh,
Subject: Your application for access to documents – Ref GestDem No 2021/3439
We refer to your e-mail dated 25 May 2021, in which you make a request for access to documents,
registered under the above-mentioned reference number.
You request access to:
“All documentation (including but not limited to all email correspondence,
attendance lists, agendas, background papers, transcripts, recordings and minutes/notes) relating to
the meetings listed below:
1. Between Gerassimos Thomas, Director General of TAXUD and Eurofer on the 12th April 2021”.
Following your request, we have identified following documents:
1. Letter from Eurofer of 17 March 2021 to the Commissioner – [Ares(2021)2172777];
2. CBAM Roundtable discussion with the Commissioner on 8 March 2021 – [Ares(2021)2172777];
3. Internal report of meeting between Eurofer and the Commission of 12 April 2021 –
[Ares(2021)3785994].
The object of this meeting was to exchange views with the European Steel Association (Eurofer)
relating a possible future carbon border adjustment mechanism in the steel sector.
Commission européenne, B-1049 Bruxelles / Europese Commissie, B-1049 Brussel - Belgium. Telephone: (32-2) 299 11 11.
Office: J-79 (3/221) Telephone: direct line (32-2) 2921548
xxxx.xxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
Your application has been dealt with in accordance with Regulation 1049/2001 on public access to
Commission documents.
Documents 1 and 2
These are documents of Eurofer. In accordance with Article 4(4) of the Regulation, the third party
(Eurofer) was consulted as concerns the documents originating from them. In particular, they have been
consulted because personal data of their representatives and staff is mentioned in the documents. They
agree with the disclosure of the documents.
Following from Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 and based on the consultation with the third party, we
have considered that documents 1 and 2 can be disclosed. Some references to personal data have been
redacted (see below under Personal data). In reply to this letter , a meeting was organized on 12 April
between the Director-General and Eurofer.
Document 2 is a follow-up report of Eurofer, after the
roundtable discussion held with Commissioner Gentiloni.
Document 3
Having examined the requested document under the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001
regarding public access to documents, document 3 can be disclosed (expunged from personal data).
Document 3 is the meeting report, which can be disclosed. Please be informed that no briefing was
prepared for this meeting.
Personal data Documents 1 and 3 to which you have requested access contain personal data (signatures, names
Commission and third party officials, office data).
Pursuant to Article 4(1) (b) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, access to a document has to be
refused if its disclosure would undermine the protection of privacy and the integrity of the individual,
in particular in accordance with Community legislation regarding the protection of personal data. The
applicable legislation in this field is Regulation (EC) No 2018/1725. Pursuant to Article 9(1)(b) of
Regulation 2018/1725, ‘personal data shall only be transmitted to recipients established in the Union
other than Union institutions and bodies if the recipient establishes that it is necessary to have the
data transmitted for a specific purpose in the public interest and the controller, where there is any
reason to assume that the data subject’s legitimate interests might be prejudiced, establishes that it is
proportionate to transmit the personal data for that specific purpose after having demonstrably
weighed the various competing interests’.
We consider that, with the information available, the necessity of disclosing the aforementioned
personal data to you has not been established and it cannot be assumed that such disclosure would not
prejudice the legitimate rights of the persons concerned. Therefore, we are disclosing the documents
requested expunged from this personal data.
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Disclaimer
Please note that documents originating from third parties are disclosed to you based on Regulation (EC)
No 1049/2001. However, this disclosure is without prejudice to the rules on intellectual property, which
may limit your right to reproduce or exploit the released documents without the agreement of the
originator, who may hold an intellectual property right on them. The European Commission does not
assume any responsibility from their reuse.
In view of the nature of document 3, we would like to stress that Commission officials draft minutes for
internal use and are usually of value only for a limited time. They solely reflect the service’s
interpretation of the interventions made and do 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.
Confirmatory application
In accordance with Article 7(2) of Regulation(EC) No 1049/2001, you are entitled to make 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 Secretary-General of the Commission at the following address:
European Commission
Secretariat-General
Transparency, Document Management & Access to Documents (SG.C.1)
BERL 7/076
B-1049 Brussels
or by email to:
xxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
You may reuse the documents requested free of charge 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 document. Please note that the Commission does not assume liability stemming
from the reuse.
Yours sincerely,
Emer Traynor
Head of Unit
Annexes: as stated above
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Electronically signed on 23/07/2021 16:14 (UTC+02) in accordance with article 11 of Commission Decision C(2020) 4482
