This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'High Level Expert Group on Fake News and Online Disinformation'.



 
Ref. Ares(2019)4607822 - 16/07/2019
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology  
 
Resources and Support 
 
Compliance and Planning 
Head of Unit 
 
Brussels,  
CONNECT/R4 
Mr Alexander Fanta 
Netzpolitik.org  
Rue de la Loi 155 
1000 Brussels 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Belgium 
 
                                                                                     Advance copy via email:  
                                                                                         xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx  
                                                                             
 
REGISTERED LETTER WITH ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT 
Subject: Your application for access to documents- Ref GestDem 2019/3059 
Dear Mr Fanta,  
We refer to your e-mail dated 22 May 2019 in which you make a request for access to 
documents in accordance with Article 2(1) of Regulation 1049/2001 on public access to 
documents (hereinafter, ‘Regulation 1049/2001’), registered on 3 June 2019 under the 
abovementioned reference number. We also refer to our holding reply dated 25 June 
2019,  our reference Ares(2019)4028923, whereby we informed you that the time limit 
for handling your application was extended by 15 working days pursuant to Article 7(3) 
of Regulation 1049/2001.     
1. 
SCOPE OF YOUR APPLICATION 
You requested access to: 
‘- Meeting minutes of all meetings of the High Level Expert Group on Fake News and 
Online Disinformation and the working group responsible for the creation of the Code of 
Practice on Disinformation, from its inception last year till its conclusion;  

- All preparatory emails and other documents related to the work of the High Level 
Expert Group.’ 

 
 
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx 
 

 
2. 
DOCUMENTS FALLING WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE REQUEST 
We have identified the following documents:  
a. All minutes of meetings of the High-Level Expert Group on Fake news and the 
Multistakeholder Forum on Disinformation  

-  Document 1: Minutes of the First Meeting of the High-Level Expert Group on Fake 
News, 15 January 2018; 
Document 2: Minutes of the Second Meeting of the High-Level Expert Group on Fake 
News, 7 February 2018;  
-  Document 3: Minutes of the Third Meeting of the High-Level Expert Group on Fake 
News, 23 February 2018; 
Document 4: Minutes of the Fourth Meeting of the High-Level Expert Group on Fake 
News, 7 March 2018; 
-  Document 5: Minutes of the First Meeting of the Multistakeholder Forum on 
Disinformation, 29 May 2018; 
-  Document 6: Minutes of the Second Meeting of the Multistakeholder Forum on 
Disinformation, 20 June 2018; 
-  Document 7: Minutes of the Third Meeting of the Multistakeholder Forum on 
Disinformation, 17 July 2018; 
-  Document 8: Minutes of the Fourth Meeting of the Multistakeholder Forum on 
Disinformation, 17 September 2018. 
 
b. Other documents related to the work of the High-Level Expert Group (including 
preparatory emails) 

- Document 9: Invitation to High Level Expert Group, 22 December 2017; 
-  Document 10: Letter to the members of the High- High-Level Expert Group on Fake 
News, 10 January 2018 and its Annexes: Agenda (Document 11), Background Note on 
Fake News and Disinformation online (Document 12) and Rules of Procedure of the 
High-Level Group of Experts on Fake News (Document 13); 
Document 14: Standard privacy statement; 
Document 15: Note to the attention of High-Level Expert Group on Fake News: Rules 
on Reimbursement, 16 January 2018 and the attached information sheet (Document 16); 
Document 17: Email to the members of the High Level Expert Group on Fake News, 
17 January 2018;  
-  Document 18: Email to the Chair and members of the High-Level Expert Group on 
Fake News, 22 January 2019 and the attached list of subgroups; 


 
-  Document 19: Agenda of the second High-Level Expert Group Meeting; 
Document 20: Note to the attention of High-Level Expert Group on Fake News: Rules 
on Reimbursement, 19 February 2018 and the abovementioned (Document 16) attached 
information sheet;  
Document 21: Agenda of the third High-Level Expert Group Meeting;  
Document 22: Note to the attention of High-Level Expert Group on Fake News: Rules 
on Reimbursement, 2 March 2018 and the abovementioned (Document 16) attached 
information sheet  
Document 23: Agenda of the fourth High-Level Expert Group Meeting 
Document 24: Report of the independent High-Level Expert Group on fake news and 
online disinformation.   
3. 
ASSESSMENT UNDER REGULATION 1049/2001 
Having assessed the identified documents under the provisions of Regulation 1049/2001, 
we have arrived at the conclusion that full disclosure can be granted for sixteen 
documents. Partial access with only personal data redacted can be granted to all other 
documents.  
A. Full disclosure 
Documents No 1-8, 11-14, 16, 19, 2123 and 24 are fully disclosed. 
Please note that documents 1-4, 11-13, 19, 2123 and 24 are publicly available on the 
Register of Commission Expert Groups via the following link:  
http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/index.cfm?do=groupDetail.groupDetail&grou
pID=3567 
Documents 5-8 are publically available via the following link:  
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/meeting-multistakeholder-forum-
disinformation  
B. Partial access with only personal data redacted  
Parts of documents No 9, 10, 15, 17, 18, 20 and 22 contain personal data, in particular 
names, initials, contact details, functions, handwritten signatures of the Commission 
staff. They also contain contact details (email addresses and telephone numbers) of the 
members of the High-Level Expert Group. Pursuant to Article 4(1)(b) Regulation 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.  
The applicable legislation in this field is Regulation (EC) No 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 
45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC1   (‘Regulation 2018/1725’). 
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 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 data2 . Please note in 
this respect that the names, signatures, functions, telephone numbers and/or initials 
pertaining to staff members of an institution are to be considered personal data3.  
Pursuant to Article 9(1)(b) of Regulation 2018/1725, personal data shall only be 
transmitted 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. 
In your application, you do not put forward any arguments to establish the necessity to 
have the personal data transmitted for a specific purpose in the public interest. Therefore, 
the European 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, please 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.  
Consequently, I conclude that access cannot be granted to the abovementioned 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. We are 
therefore disclosing a version of the mentioned documents with the personal data 
redacted. 
You may reuse the documents free of charge, for non-commercial and commercial 
purposes provided that the source is acknowledged, that you do not distort the original 
meaning or message of the documents. Please note that the Commission does not assume 
liability stemming from the reuse. 
                                                 
1 Official Journal L 205 of 21.11.2018, p. 39. 
2 Judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 20 December 2017 in Case C-434/16, Peter 
Novak v Data Protection Commissioner, request for a preliminary ruling, paragraphs 33-35, 
ECLI:EU:T:2018:560 
3 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 



 
4. 
CONFIRMATORY APPLICATION 
In accordance with Article 7(2) of Regulation 1049/2001, you are entitled to make a 
confirmatory application requesting the Commission to review the above positions.  
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 
Secretary-General 
Transparency, Document Management & Access to Documents (SG.C.1)  
BERL 5/282 
B-1049 Bruxelles 
or by email to: xxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx 
 
 
 
Yours sincerely, 
(e-Signed) 
Katleen ENGELBOSCH 
 
 
 
 
Enclosures: (24) 

Electronically signed on 16/07/2019 12:18 (UTC+02) in accordance with article 4.2 (Validity of electronic documents) of Commission Decision 2004/563

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