Correspondence etc. between DG Clima and industry representatives on TEN-E revision

The request was partially successful.

From: Frida Kieninger, Food & Water Action Europe

Rue d'Edmibourg 26
1050 Ixelles
Belgium

24 July 2020

RE: Access to Documents related to the TEN-E revision

Dear madams/sirs,

Referring to Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 on public access to EU documents and to the 'Aarhus Regulation' (see note), I would herewith like to ask for access to the following:

1- all correspondence (including email) between 1st December 2019 and 12 July 2020 between Commissioner Timmermans, and/or their cabinets and/or officials from DG Clima on one hand and representatives from IOGP, Shell, Total, BP, Equinor, ZEP, the Global CCS Institute, Hydrogen Europe, the Hydrogen Council, Business Europe, the European Roundtable for Industry, GasNaturally, Eurogás, ENTSO-G, Snam, Enagás, Fluxys, Open Grid Europe, GRTGaz, Teréga, Eurofer, ArcelorMittal, FTI Consulting, Fleishman Hillard, Alstom, Engie, Air Liquide, Toyota, Gas for Climate consortium, Gas Infrastructure Europe on the other, in which the revision of TEN-E was addressed.

2 - list of meetings between 1st December 2019 and 12 July 2020 between officials and representatives of DG Clima on one hand and representatives from IOGP, Shell, Total, BP, Equinor, ZEP, the Global CCS Institute, Hydrogen Europe, the Hydrogen Council, Business Europe, the European Roundtable for Industry, GasNaturally, Eurogás,ENTSO-G, Snam, Enagás, Fluxys, Open Grid Europe, GRTGaz, Teréga, Eurofer, ArcelorMittal, FTI Consulting, Fleishman Hillard, Alstom, Engie, Air Liquide, Toyota, Gas for Climate consortium, Gas Infrastructure Europe on the other, in which the revision of TEN-E was addressed.

3 - minutes of the meetings mentioned above

I would like to make clear I prefer you produce the documents on a rolling basis.

At no point should the Commission’s search for—or deliberations concerning—certain documents delay the production of others that the Commission has already retrieved and elected to produce.

To the extent possible, we prefer the documents in electronic format. Documents that cannot be sent in electronic format should be sent to Food & Water Action Europe, rue d'Edimbourg 26, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium.

Should my request be denied wholly or partially, please explain the denial or all deletions referring to specific exemptions in the regulation. Also I expect the partial release of documents, in case of partial exemption according to article 4.6.

I reserve the right to appeal.

Please confirm having received this application. I look forward to your reply within 15 business days, according to the regulation.

Thank you for your assistance.

Frida Kieninger,

Food & Water Action Europe

Climate Action

Dear Mr Kieninger,

 

Thank you for your e-mail of 24 July 2020. We hereby acknowledge receipt
of your application for access to documents, which was registered on 27
July 2020 under reference number GESTDEM 2020/4580.

 

In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding public access to
European Parliament, Council and Commission documents, your application
will be handled within 15 working days. The time limit will expire on 17
August 2020. In case this time limit needs to be extended, you will be
informed in due course.

 

You have lodged your application via a private third-party website, which
has no link with any institution of the European Union. Therefore, the
European Commission cannot be held accountable for any technical issues or
problems linked to the use of this system.

 

Please note that the private third party running the AsktheEU.org website
is responsible and accountable for the processing of your personal data
via that website, and not the Commission. For further information on your
rights, please refer to the third party’s privacy policy.

 

We understand that the third party running the AsktheEU.org website
usually publishes the content of applicants’ correspondence with the
Commission on that website. This includes the personal data that you may
have communicated to the Commission (e.g. your private postal address).

 

Similarly, the third party publishes on that website any reply that the
Commission will send to the email address of the applicants generated by
the AsktheEU.org website.

 

If you do not wish that your correspondence with the Commission is
published on a private third-party website such as AsktheEU.org, you can
provide us with an alternative, private e-mail address for further
correspondence. In that case, the Commission will send all future
electronic correspondence addressed to you only to that private address,
and it will use only that private address to reply to your request. You
should still remain responsible to inform the private third-party website
about this change of how you wish to communicate with, and receive a reply
from, the Commission.

 

For information on how we process your personal data visit our page
Privacy statement – access to documents.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Access to Documents team

 

European Commission

Directorate-General for Climate Action

Av. de Beaulieu 24

1049 Brussels

 

Dear DG Clima,

the deadline given for receiving requested documents expired yesterday, 17 August, and I haven't been informed about another deadline. Could you let me know by when I can expect the documents?

Best regards,

Frida Kieninger

Climate Action

Dear Ms Kieninger,

Thank you for your email. We refer to your e-mail of 24 July 2020 in which you make a request for access to documents, registered on 27 July 2020 under reference number Gestdem 2020/4580.

Your application is currently being handled. However, we were not be in a position to complete the handling of your application within the time limit of 15 working days, which expired yesterday. We apologise for the late notification, we thought it could have been handled within the first time limit of 15 working days.

An extended time limit is needed and, therefore, we have to extend the time limit with 15 working days in accordance with Article 7(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding public access to documents. The new time limit expires on 7 September 2020.

We apologise for this delay and for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Yours faithfully,

Access to Documents team


European Commission
Directorate-General for Climate Action
Av. de Beaulieu 24
1049 Brussels

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Dear DG Climate Action,

Since the prolongation of the deadline for documents has expired yesterday, I would like to know by when I can expect the information I requested?

Kind regards,

Frida Kieninger

Climate Action

Dear Ms Kieninger,

We apologise for the late reply. We are currently completing your request. You will receive our reply next week.

We apologise for this delay and for any inconvenience this may cause.

Sincerely,

Access to Documents team

European Commission
Directorate-General for Climate Action
Av. de Beaulieu 24
1049 Brussels

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Dear Climate Action,

I still did not receive the answer I have been promised to get by last week the latest. When can I expect the requested documents?

Kind regards,

Frida Kieninger

Climate Action

4 Attachments

Dear Ms Kieninger ,

 

Further to your application for access to documents – Ref GestDem No
2020/4580, please find attached the reply.

 

According to standard operational procedure, the reply is usually also
sent to you by registered post. Please note, however, that due to the
extraordinary health and security measures currently in force during to
the COVID-19 epidemics, which include the requirement for all Commission
non-critical staff to telework, we are unfortunately not in a position to
follow this procedure until further notice.

 

We would therefore appreciate if you could confirm receipt of the present
e-mail by replying to [1][email address]

 

Kind regards,

 

 

Access to Documents team

 

    

European Commission

Directorate-General for Climate Action

Av. de Beaulieu 24

1049 Brussels

 

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]

CLIMA-ACCESS-DOCUMENTS@ec.europa.eu, Climate Action

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Kieninger,

 

As explained in our reply to your access to documents request, due to the
extraordinary health and security measures currently in force during to
the COVID-19 epidemics, which include the requirement for all Commission
non-critical staff to telework, we were unfortunately not in a position to
send the reply to you by registered post.

 

Thus, we would be grateful if you could confirm receipt of the e-mail sent
to you on 29 September 2020 by replying to
[1][email address].

 

Many thanks for your cooperation.

 

Access to Documents team

 

    

European Commission

Directorate-General for Climate Action

Av. de Beaulieu 24

1049 Brussels

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]