Countries & Agencies Attending Meetings
Dear European Police Office "Europol",
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:
Over a period of days in February there were meetings between various officers of International Agencies at Europol to discuss the forthcoming joint operation to infiltrate Encrochat by the JIT in conjunction with Europol and UK partners
Please could you provide the documents with list of attendees and the agencies and country they represent, keeping in mind that names of individuals may be redacted but their position, agency and country should not.
If there are any issues or further clarification required, please revert
Yours faithfully,
M Doyle
Dear European Police Office,
Please note that the request is now overdue. It is understood that the current restrictions may cause delays.
However, would you please revert with a timeframe in which the information will be supplied and the existence of that information in this separate request.
Yours faithfully,
M Doyle
Dear Mr Doyle,
Thank you for your interest in our organisation.
Your public access request will be processed in line with the Management Board Rules on Public Access to Europol Documents, herewith attached for your convenience.
Kind regards,
G2-01 Corporate Law
Dear G2-01 Corporate Law,
The attached response does not address nor indicates its direct relevance to the specific request that has been made. It is clearly a generic response to confuse the issue and therefore has no legal application to the request at hand or how it applies to that request.
I would hope that this is not standard practice as it would be a disingenuous rendering by an authority that claims to uphold the rights of citizens and residence of the EU as well as being transparent in it's operations.
Therefore please respond with a timeframe for disclosure of the information requested or specific and applicable legal grounds why the information requested should not be furnished in order to proceed to the Ombudsman
Yours sincerely,
M Doyle
Dear Mr. Doyle,
Thank you for your message. Unfortunately, we are facing some delays due to the current COVID situation. The message sent yesterday served as an acknowledgment of your public access request and, in accordance with the rules on public access to documents, it will be processed within 15 working days of this acknowledgement. The deadline is calculated on the basis of working days, excluding public holidays, making the deadline for your request - 13 July 2021. We will however strive to process your public access request as soon as possible and we will do our utmost to provide you with a reply during the course of next week.
Thank you in advance for your kind understanding.
Kind regards
G2-01 Corporate Law
Dear G2-01 Corporate Law,
For clarity the request deadline is 15 days of receipt, not acknowledgment.
The request was made and delivered at on the 31st May 2021 with a timestamp of 09:15:12 , the 13th of July will be 31 working days from documented receipt.
Yours sincerely,
M Doyle
Dear Mr. Doyle,
Europol has assessed your request and after an internal examination one document was identified to fall in the scope of your request.
We regret to inform you that Europol has decided to refuse access to the document on the basis of Article 4(1)(a) and (b) of the Management Board Decision laying down the rules for applying Regulation 1049/2001 with regard to Europol documents (“Management Board Decision on Public Access”), as its disclosure would undermine the protection of the public interest as regards public security, such as the proper fulfilment of Europol’s tasks and the investigations and operational activities of Member States, third parties or Union bodies, as well as the protection of the privacy and integrity of the individuals therein mentioned. The document contains sensitive information on the ongoing investigation against high risk criminal networks, as well as personal data. The release of such sensitive information to the public could impact upon the effectiveness of present and future operational activities of the Member States in their fight against serious crimes. The disclosure of the document to the public could also jeopardize the trust and mutual cooperation between Europol and its partners, which is essential to Europol’s activities, consequently hindering Europol’s ability to effectively perform its tasks.
You may make a confirmatory application asking Europol to reconsider its position within 15 working days of receiving Europol’s reply, in accordance with Article 5(4) of the Management Board Decision on Public Access.
Kind regards
G2-01 Corporate Law