EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Ref. Ares(2020)2890088 - 04/06/2020
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR ENERGY
The Director-General
Brussels, 04/06/2020
ENER/B2/El/el D(2020) 2918052
Ms Frida Kieninger
Rue d'Edimbourg 26
BE- 1050 Brussels
by email:
ask+request-7717-
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
Subject:
Your application for access to documents – Ref GestDem 2020/1188
Dear Ms Kieninger,
We refer to your email, dated 2 March 2020 in which you make a request for access to
documents, registered under the above-mentioned reference number.
You request access to:
1 - all correspondence (including email) between 1st January 2018 and March 2nd 2020
between the former and/or current Commissioner for Energy and/or his/her Cabinet
and/or officials and representatives of DG Energy and representatives from ENTSO G,
ENTSO E, Eurelectric in which the gas market reform or the TEN-E regulation was
addressed.
2 - list of meetings between between 1st January 2018 and March 2nd 2020 between the
former and/or current Commissioner for Energy and/or his/her Cabinet and/or officials
and representatives of DG Energy and representatives from ENTSO G, ENTSO E,
Eurelectric in which the gas market reform or the TEN-E regulation was addressed.
3 - minutes of the meetings mentioned above.
Following our research, we found the following documents corresponding to your
request under point 1:
- Ares(2018)1461817 of 15 March 2018 (Annexes 1-2);
- Ares(2018)5528631 of 23 October 2018 (Annexes 3-8);
- Ares(2020)2330568 of 20 December 2019 (Annexes 9-10);
- Ares(2020)2772633 of 8 January 2020 (Annex 11);
- Ares(2020)933610 of 16 January 2020 (Annex 12);
- Ares(2020)620008 of 16 January 2020 (Annex 13);
- Ares(2020)128467 of 26 February 2020 (Annex 14) – also publicly available:
https://windeurope.org/wp-content/uploads/files/policy/position-
papers/20200227-Electrification-Alliance-comments-on-ENTSOs-TYNDP-2020-
scenarios.pdf;
- Ares(2020)1857164 of 31 March 2020 (Annexes 15-16).
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111
Office: DM24 08/084 - Tel. direct line +32 229-62496
I am glad to inform you that all documents can be disclosed, subject only to the redaction
of personal data, for the following reasons:
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.
Article 9(1)(b) of the Data Protection Regulation1 does not allow the transmission of
these personal data, except if you prove that it is necessary to have the data transmitted to
you for a specific purpose in the public interest and where there is no reason to assume
that the legitimate interests of the data subject might be prejudiced. In your request, you
do not express any particular interest to have access to these personal data nor do you put
forward any arguments to establish the necessity to have the data transmitted for a
specific purpose in the public interest.
Consequently, I conclude that, pursuant to Article 4(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No
1049/2001, access cannot be granted to the personal data contained in the requested
documents, 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.
Please find enclosed the redacted copy of the letters in question.
Concerning point 2 of your request "list of meetings", the Commission does not hold
such lists of meetings for officials below Director-General level. Notwithstanding,
information on the meetings with the participation of the former and current
Commissioners or their Cabinets, or the Director-General is available in the public
domain:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/commissioners/2019-2024/simson_en#calendar
https://ec.europa.eu/info/former-colleges-commissioners/transparency-pages-juncker-
commission_en
http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiative/meetings/meeting.do?host=61569260-525e-
42f8-aa52-51d7bfc30d4f
In relation to point 3 of your request, we regret to inform you that no documents were
found that would correspond to the description given in your application.
Indeed, as specified in Article 2(3) of Regulation 1049/2001, the right of access as
defined in that regulation applies only to existing documents in the possession of the
institution.
In case you would disagree with this assessment, you are entitled, in accordance with
Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, to submit a confirmatory application
requesting the Commission to review this position.
1 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
45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC, OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39.
2
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 email to:
xxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
Yours sincerely,
(e-signed) Ditte Juul Jørgensen
Enclosures: 16
Electronically signed on 04/06/2020 15:24 (UTC+02) in accordance with article 4.2 (Validity of electronic documents) of Commission Decision 2004/563
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