CSDP missions and operations data

The request was refused by European External Action Service.

Dear European External Action Service,

Under the right of access to documents in the EU treaties, as developed in Regulation 1049/2001, I am requesting documents which contain the following information:

A list of all EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions and operations conducted since 2003 onwards, specifying for each mission/operation the following:

- Name of the mission/operation
- Country(s) where it took ―or takes― place
- Starting year
- Ending year (if any, ongoing)
- Type (military or civilian)
- Total number of personnel deployed
- Member States troop contribution by MS
- Total EU personnel deployed

Yours faithfully,

Álvaro Merino,
Calle Ricardo Ortiz 61 1B
28017 Madrid (Spain)

Dear European External Action Service,

I would like to know whether my request has been registered or not. Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

Álvaro Merino

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS, European External Action Service

Dear Mr Merino,

This message is an acknowledgement of receipt for your request for access to documents under Regulation 1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents (which the EEAS is also respecting).

Your request for access to document have been registered under reference number: 2020/026
Please refer to this number in any further correspondence.

In accordance with the Regulation, you will receive a reply within 15 working days: 28/2/2020.

Yours sincerely,

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS (KK)
[EEAS request email]
SG.AFFGEN.2 – Parliamentary Affairs

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Dear EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS,

The response to my request is delayed but I have not been informed about an extension of time. When am I supposed to receive a final reply?

Yours sincerely,

Álvaro Merino

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS, European External Action Service

Dear Mr Merino,

We are still waiting for the reply from the Division concerned. We therefore, exceptionally, need to extend the deadline for reply by an additional 15 working days.

Yours sincerely,

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS (AD)
[EEAS request email]
SG.AFFGEN.2 – Parliamentary Affairs

Dear EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS,

The extended deadline has also been surpassed and still I have no answer to my request.

Yours sincerely,

Álvaro Merino

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS, European External Action Service

Dear Mr Merino,

The reply is currently submitted for approval. Would you be so kind as to be patient for a some more days for the reply.
We will make every effort to process your request as quickly as possible.

Yours sincerely,

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS (AD)
[EEAS request email]
SG.AFFGEN.2 – Parliamentary Affairs

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS, European External Action Service

4 Attachments

Dear Mr Merino,

 

On behalf of Mr Visentin please find attached the reply to your request
for access to documents.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS (AD)

[1][EEAS request email]

SG.AFFGEN.2 – Parliamentary Affairs

References

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1. mailto:[EEAS request email]

Dear European External Action Service,

Please pass this on to the person who reviews confirmatory applications.

I am filing the following confirmatory application with regards to my access to documents request 'CSDP missions and operations data'.

The core of my request targeted information that can't be found in the EEAS website nor the EEAS share in any other publicly available way (total number of personnel deployed, troop contribution by MS and total EU personnel deployed). However, in its initial response the EEAS has only identified documents containing information that can be easily accessed in its website. As such, I would like to ask the EEAS team to go through a second examination.

I understand the disclosure of the exact number of personnel currently deployed by the EEAS in each mission can lead to problematic situations. However, it is relatively easy to find alternatives to it, such as providing percentages (there's already an estimation of the people currently deployed, 5.000), data grouped by regions (instead of giving the number of troops for each very mission, data can be aggregated by continents, my preferable option), or troop deployment at the moment of its implementation. There should be plenty of documents containing that kind of information, and, furthermore, the General Court, in its Judgment of 2 July 2015 (Typke v Commission, T-214/13, EU:T:2015:448, paragraph 56), established that ‘[…] in the event of an application for access designed to have the Commission carry out a search of one or more of its databases using search criteria specified by the applicant, the Commission is obliged, subject to the possible application of Article 4 of Regulation No 1049/2001, to accede to that request, if the requisite search can be carried out using the search tools which it has available for the database in question’.

Finally, I would like to point out that the main objective of my request is to obtain data on the involvement of Member States in EEAS missions and operations. The public should know how many troops their governments are sending out to participate in those kinds of missions and, to put the numbers into context, it is necessary to have the opportunity to compare among all MS involved. In other words, my request is not oriented to the logistical details of the operations but to the contribution of Member States.

A full history of my request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.asktheeu.org/en/request/csdp...

Yours faithfully,

Álvaro Merino

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS, European External Action Service

Dear Mr Merino,

This message is an acknowledgement of receipt for your confirmatory application requesting a review of our reply dated 8 April 2020, under Regulation 1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents (which the EEAS is also respecting).

Your confirmatory application has the same reference number 2020/026, as the initial ones. Please refer to this numbers in any further correspondence.

In accordance with the Regulation, you will receive a reply within 15 working days from registration of the application, i.e. by 6 May 2020.

Yours faithfully,

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS (AD)
[EEAS request email]
SG.AFFGEN.2 – Parliamentary Affairs

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS, European External Action Service

Dear Mr Merino,

We are still waiting for the reply from the Division concerned. We therefore, exceptionally, need to extend the deadline for reply by an additional 15 working days.

Yours sincerely,

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS (AD)
[EEAS request email]
SG.AFFGEN.2 – Parliamentary Affairs

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS, European External Action Service

Dear Mr Merino,

We are still waiting for the reply from the Division concerned. We therefore need to extend the deadline for reply.
You will receive a reply within 15 working days: 28/5/2020.

Yours faithfully,

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS (AD)
[EEAS request email]
SG.AFFGEN.2 – Parliamentary Affairs

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS, European External Action Service

Dear Mr Merino,

Your application is currently being handled. However, we will not be in a position to complete the handling of your application within the time limit of 15 working days due to special circumstances [article 7(3) and 8(2) of the Regulation]– force majeure - current working arrangements due to the pandemics.

We apologise for this delay and for any inconvenience this may cause.
We will make every effort to process your request as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your understanding,
Yours sincerely,

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS (AD)
[EEAS request email]
SG.AFFGEN.2 – Parliamentary Affairs

Dear EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS,

Two months have passed since I submitted a confirmatory application and still have no answer. When am I expected to receive a final response?

Yours sincerely,

Álvaro Merino

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS, European External Action Service

Dear Mr Merino,

The reply is ready but need to be signed. You should receive the final response still this week.

Thank you for your understanding,
Yours sincerely,

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS (AD)
[EEAS request email]
SG.AFFGEN.2 – Parliamentary Affairs

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS, European External Action Service

3 Attachments

Dear Mr Merino,

On behalf of Mr Di Vita please find attached the reply to your confirmatory request for access to documents.

Yours sincerely,

EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS (AD)
[EEAS request email]
SG.AFFGEN.2 – Parliamentary Affairs