Ref. Ares(2023)349580 - 17/01/2023
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL
TAXATION AND CUSTOMS UNION
International and General Affairs
Inter-institutional relations, coordination, communication and strategic planning
Brussels,
Taxud E2/
Ms Agathe Bounfour
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
(by e-mail only)
Dear Madam,
Subject:
Your application for access to documents – 2023/0264
We refer to your application dated 12 January 2023 in which you make a request for access to
documents, registered under the above mentioned reference number.
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 September 30 th
2022 between Gerassimos Thomas and FuelsEurope.”
Following your request we have identified the following 2 documents that you will find enclosed
herewith:
1. Meeting request - E-mail of FuelsEurope of 16 September 2022 (Ares(2022)6565342)
2. DG TAXUD’s summary of the meeting with FuelsEurope of 30/09/2022 (Ares(2022)7252748)
Document 1
This is a document of FuelsEurope. In accordance with Article 4(4) of the Regulation, the third party
was consulted as concerns the documents originating from them. They agree with the disclosure of the
document, on condition that the personal data was expunged .
Document 2
These are DG TAXUD’s minutes of the meeting with the company.
Having examined the documents requested under Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding public
access to documents and taking into account the consultation of the third party, I am pleased to inform
you that the documents can be disclosed. Some references to personal data have been redacted (see
below under Personal data).
Personal data
Documents 1 and 2 to which you have requested access contain personal data (signatures, names
Commission and third party officials, office data).
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
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 that 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.
In case you would disagree with the assessment that the expunged data are personal data which can
only be disclosed if such disclosure is legitimate under the rules of personal data protection, you are
entitled, in accordance with Article 7(2) of Regulation 1049/2001, 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 Bruxelles
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,
(e-Signed)
Emer Traynor
Head of Unit
Annexes: as stated above
2
Electronically signed on 17/01/2023 09:25 (UTC+01) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121