This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Stakeholder contacts on Japan-EU Free Trade Agreement (JEFTA)'.


 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
 
 
Brussels, 26.3.2018 
C(2018) 1980 final 
 
 
Ms Lora VERHEECKE  
Corporate Europe Observatory 
26 rue d’Edimbourg 
1050 Brussels 
DECISION OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ON BEHALF OF THE COMMISSION PURSUANT TO 
ARTICLE 4 OF THE IMPLEMENTING RULES TO REGULATION (EC) NO 1049/20011 
Subject: 
 
Your confirmatory application for access to documents under 
Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 - Gestdem 2017/7337 

Dear Ms Verheecke, 
I am writing in reference to your email of 27 February 2018, registered on 28 February 
2018, by which you lodge a confirmatory application in accordance with Article 7(2) of 
Regulation 1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and 
Commission documents2 (hereafter: ‘Regulation 1049/2001’). 
Through your initial application of 7 December 2017, addressed to the Directorate-General 
for Trade, you requested access to a list of meetings of DG TRADE officials and/or 
representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and stakeholders, including 
trade unions, civil society groups, as well as representatives of individual companies, 
industry associations, law firms, public consultancies and think tanks in which Japan-EU 
Agreement (JEFTA) was discussed (between January 2017 and today).  

In its initial reply of 27 February 2018, the Directorate-General for Trade informed you that 
it does not hold the document requested. Indeed, the information requested (the list of 
meetings) is not included in any of the existing documents in possession of the Directorate-
General for Trade.  
                                                 
1   Official Journal L 345 of 29.12.2001, p. 94. 
2   Official Journal L 145, 31.05.2001 p.43 
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 229 91111 
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/secretariat_general/ 
E-mail: xxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx  

In this context, the Directorate-General for Trade  referred to Article 2(3) of Regulation 
1049/2001, which stipulates that the right of access guaranteed by that Regulation applies 
only to existing documents.   
The Directorate-General for Trade also explained that creating such a list in order to provide 
it to you under the provisions of the Code of Good Administrative Behaviour3, would entail, 
in this particular case, a disproportionate administrative burden.  
Through your confirmatory application, you request a review of this position. In particular, 
you refer to the principles provided for in the Practical Guide to Staff Ethics and Conduct4, 
according to which a written record of meetings with interest group representatives should 
be ensured where these contain important information or may involve action by the 
European Commission. Such reports should be registered and filed.  
You also allege that the European Commission provided a similar list in the past, in the 
context of an earlier application for access to documents that you submitted (registered 
under reference number GestDem 2017/311). Given that the latter request covered a 
significantly wider temporal scope (from January 2014 to January 2017) you take the view 
that compiling such a list in the present case (covering only one year) should not entail a 
disproportionate burden. 
As a preliminary comment, please note that the European Commission makes publically 
available information regarding meetings of Commissioners, their Cabinets and Directors-
General with external organisations and self-employed individuals, including those 
mentioned in your initial application. For ease of reference and completeness, please find 
the relevant links5.  
With regard to the obligations included in the Practical Guide to Staff Ethics and Conduct, 
to which you refer in your confirmatory application, please note that the Guide indeed 
indicates that reports of meetings be registered and filed. Your application, however, does 
not relate to meeting reports, but only to a list of meetings, for which the above-mentioned 
Guide does not foresee a similar practice. 
As regards the reference to your earlier application registered under reference number 
Gestdem 2017/311, submitted on 17 January 2017, I would like to recall that in that 
application you requested access to: 
                                                 
3  
https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/code-of-good-administrative-behaviour_en.pdf. 
4  
https://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/staff/Documents/staff-conduct/practical-guide-to-staff-ethics-and-
conduct.pdf. 
5  
http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiative/meetings/meeting.do?host=fdf6c08d-54d1-4524-aa70-
1287c34ceb4d, 
http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiative/meetings/meeting.do?host=61aa8586-2b0d-
4394-b196-30c13f1fa663 and 
http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiative/meetings/meeting.do?host=5f4689e0-014c-4bec-8125-
f9e6d3592c86. 

 



1.  a list of meetings of DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the 
Commissioner and the Cabinet) and stakeholders, including trade unions, civil 
society groups, as well as representatives of individual companies, industry 
associations, law firms, public consultancies and think tanks in which the Japan-EU 
Free Trade Agreement (JEFTA) was discussed (between January 2014 and today); 

2.  minutes and other reports of these meetings; 
3.  all correspondence (including emails) between DG Trade officials and/or 
representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and stakeholders, 
including trade unions, civil society groups, as well as representatives of individual 
companies, industry associations, law firms, public consultancies as well as think 
tanks regarding the Japan-EU Free Trade Agreement (JEFTA) (between January 
2014 and today). 

In the ensuing email exchanges, the Directorate-General for Trade explained that as regards 
the first point of your application (a list of meetings), it had not been able to identify any 
existing document within the meaning of Article 2(3) of Regulation 1049/2001. You did not 
contest the above-mentioned position. As regards points 2 and 3 of your request, the 
Directorate-General for Trade sent you, in reply to your application, a list of 33 identified 
documents, but not a list of meetings.  
In light of the above, there was no difference in the handling of both applications in so far as 
the non-identification of a list of meetings was concerned.  
Nonetheless, the European Commission has, as part of its confirmatory review, carried out a 
renewed, thorough search for the documents requested. Following this renewed search, I 
confirm that the European Commission has not identified any documents held by it that 
would fall under the scope of your request for access to documents. 
Given that no such documents have been identified, the European Commission is 
consequently not in a position to handle your request. 
Finally, I would like to draw your attention to the means of redress that are available against 
this decision. You may either bring proceedings before the General Court or file a complaint 
with the Ombudsman under the conditions specified respectively in Articles 263 and 228 of 
the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. 
Yours sincerely,  
 
For the Commission 
 Martin 
SELMAYR 
 Secretary-General