Ceci est une version HTML d'une pièce jointe de la demande d'accès à l'information 'Correspondence between Juncker and Jan Figel'.



 
Ref. Ares(2019)4429872 - 10/07/2019
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT 
 
 
 
Director-General 
Brussels,  
devco.b.1(2019)4751765 
 
Mr Diego CAYOTA 
Calle San Rufo 10 
28011 Madrid 
SPAIN 
 
By registered letter with 
acknowledgment of receipt 
Advance copy by e-mail:
 
ask+request-6865-
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx  

Subject: 
Your application for access to documents – 
Ref GestDem No 2019/2595 

Dear Mr Cayota, 
I refer to your request dated 30 April 2019 in which you ask for access to documents, 
registered on 2 May 2019 under the abovementioned reference number. I also refer to the 
e-mail of 22 May 2019 by which you were informed of the extension of the time limit to 
handle your request by 15 working days. 
You request access to “[all] the correspondence between Jan Figel and Commissioner 
Neven Mimica (International Cooperation & Development) from 2015.” I consider your 
request to cover documents held up to the date of your initial application, i.e. 30 April 
2019. 
Please note that due to the wide scope of your request, covering also areas falling under 
the responsibility of other Services, part of your request has been attributed to the 
Secretariat-General (Ref GestDem No 2019/2594). This reply relates only to the 
documents held by the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and 
Development (DG DEVCO). You have received the reply from the Secretariat-General 
on 21 May 2019.1 
Based on your application I have identified the documents listed in annex. 
Having examined the documents requested under the provisions of Regulation (EC) 
No 1049/2001 regarding public access to documents, I have come to the conclusion that 
they may be fully or partially disclosed.  
                                                 
1 Ref Ares (2019)3330978 - 21/05/2019. 
 
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111 

 
Documents (1.a), (1.b), (2), are fully disclosed. You may re-use the documents requested 
free of charge for non-commercial and commercial purposes provided the source is 
acknowledged, and you do not distort the original meaning or message of the documents. 
The Commission does not assume liability stemming from the re-use. 
Documents (3.a), (3.b), (4), (5.a), (5.b), (5.c), (6), (7.a), (7.b), (7.c) and (7.d) are partially 
disclosed. Partial disclosure refers to the parts of the documents which have been redacted 
as their disclosure is prevented by exceptions to the right of access pursuant to Article 4 of 
Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001.  
The detailed reasons for the redactions are set out below. 
Ι. Protection of the public interest as regards international relations 
Article 4(1)(a), third indent of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 provides that “[t]he 
institutions shall refuse access to a document where disclosure would undermine the 
protection of […] the public interest as regards […] international relations […]”. 
As far as the protection of international relations is concerned, EU Courts have 
acknowledged that the institutions enjoy a wide discretion when considering whether 
access to a document may undermine that public interest2.  
Documents (3.b), (5.b), (7.b), and (7.c) are mission reports drawn out by the Special 
Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the European Union, 
Ján Figeľ. To carry out the duties defined by his mandate, the Special Envoy notably 
conducts dialogues with governmental and non-governmental actors, including religious 
organisations, civil society, religious actors, and academia in various countries. At this 
occasion, he meets with stakeholders who often operate in contexts marked by a wide 
range of violations and are themselves at risk. It is essential to the fulfilment of the 
Special Envoy’s role that his interlocutors may exchange information and share views in 
an atmosphere of trust and confidentiality.  
The abovementioned documents reflect the discussions between the Special Envoy and 
religious communities and civil society on the situation of freedom of religion or belief in 
certain geographical areas. Disclosure of this information would render the specific 
concerns of these religious communities public and breach expectations of 
confidentiality, would result in a less effective implementation of the Special Envoy’s 
mandate, and would harm the external relations of the EU in the pursuit of the EU’s 
policy objectives. 
I therefore conclude that the documents (3.b), (5.b), (7.b), and (7.c) listed above can be 
granted only partial access based on Article 4(1)(a) third indent (protection of 
international relations) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001.  
ΙΙ. Protection of privacy and the integrity of the individual 
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 European Union legislation regarding 
the protection of personal data.  
                                                 
2 Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 25 April 2007, WWF European Policy Programme v Council, 
T-264/04, EU:T:2007:114, paragraph 40. 


 
The applicable legislation in this field is Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons 
with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices 
and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 
5/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC3 (‘Regulation 2018/1725’). 
Documents (3.a), (3.b), (4), (5.a), (5.b), (5.c), (6), (7.a), (7.b), (7.c) and (7.d) to which 
you request access contain personal data, in particular names, (e-mail) addresses, phone 
numbers, political opinions and religious beliefs of natural persons.  
Indeed, Article 3(1) of Regulation 2018/1725 provides that personal data “means any 
information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person [...]”. The Court of 
Justice of the European Union has specified that any information, which by reason of its 
content, purpose or effect, is linked to a particular person is to be considered as personal 
data.4  
Please note in this respect that the names, functions, telephone numbers and/or initials 
pertaining to staff members of an institution are to be considered personal data.5  
In its judgment in Case C-28/08 P (Bavarian Lager)6, the Court of Justice of the 
European Union ruled that when a request is made for access to documents containing 
personal data, the Data Protection Regulation becomes fully applicable.7 
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 “[t]he 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”.  
Only if these conditions are fulfilled and the processing constitutes lawful processing in 
accordance with the requirements of Article 5 of Regulation 2018/1725, can the 
transmission of personal data occur.  
According to Article 9(1)(b) of Regulation 2018/1725, the European Commission has to 
examine the further conditions for a lawful processing of personal data only if the first 
condition is fulfilled, namely if the recipient has established that it is necessary to have 
the data transmitted for a specific purpose in the public interest. It is only in this case that 
                                                 
3 Official Journal L 205 of 21.11.2018, p. 39. 
4 Judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 20 December 2017 in Case C-434/16, Peter 
Nowak v Data Protection Commissioner
, request for a preliminary ruling, paragraphs 33-35, 
ECLI:EU:C:2017:994.  
5 Judgment of the General Court of 19 September 2018 in case T-39/17, Port de Brest v Commission, 
paragraphs 43-44, ECLI:EU:T:2018:560. 
6 Judgment of 29 June 2010 in Case C-28/08 P, European Commission v The Bavarian Lager Co. Ltd
EU:C:2010:378, paragraph 59.  
7 Whereas this judgment specifically related to Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament 
and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of 
personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data, the 
principles set out therein are also applicable under the new data protection regime established by 
Regulation 2018/1725.  



 
the Commission has to examine whether there is a reason to assume that the data 
subject’s legitimate interests might be prejudiced and, in the affirmative, establish the 
proportionality of the transmission of the personal data for that specific purpose after 
having demonstrably weighed the various competing interests.  
In your request, you do not put forward arguments to establish the necessity to have the 
data transmitted for a specific purpose in the public interest. Therefore, the Commission 
does not have to examine whether there is a reason to assume that the data subject’s 
legitimate interests might be prejudiced.  
Notwithstanding the above, note that there are reasons to assume that the legitimate 
interests of the data subjects concerned would be prejudiced by disclosure of the personal 
data reflected in the documents, as there is a real and non-hypothetical risk that such 
public disclosure would harm their privacy and subject them to unsolicited external 
contacts.  
Consequently, I conclude that, pursuant to Article 4(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 
1049/2001, access cannot be granted to the personal data, as the need to obtain access 
thereto for a purpose in the public interest has not been substantiated and there is no 
reason to think that the legitimate interests of the individuals concerned would not be 
prejudiced by disclosure of the personal data concerned.  
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 Secretariat-General of the Commission at the following address: 
European Commission 
 
Secretariat-General  
Unit C.1. ‘Transparency, Document Management and Access to Documents’ 
 
BERL 7/076   
B-1049 Brussels 
or by e-mail to: xxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx  
Yours sincerely, 
[e-signed] 
Stefano MANSERVISI 

Electronically signed on 09/07/2019 12:26 (UTC+02) in accordance with article 4.2 (Validity of electronic documents) of Commission Decision 2004/563