DG SANTE on glyphosate

The authority would like to / has responded by postal mail to this request.

Dear Health and Food Safety,

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:

-all internal documents, correspondence (including emails), agendas, phone logs, minutes of meetings or any other reports of such meetings where the ongoing work of the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) on the active substance glyphosate was discussed/mentioned/referred to by officials of DG SANTE;

-all internal documents, correspondence (including emails), agendas, phone logs, minutes of meetings or any other reports of such meetings where the active substance glyphosate was discussed/mentioned/referred to by officials of DG SANTE;

-all correspondence (including emails), agendas, minutes of meetings or any other reports of such meetings where the active substance glyphosate was discussed/mentioned/referred to by officials of DG SANTE and representatives/officials of the following organizations/foreign governments/DGs and services of the European Commission:

-ECPA
-Cefic
-CropLife America
-ACC
-AmCham
-Bayer
-Monsanto
-BASF
-Syngenta
-Dow Chemicals
-DuPont
-BusinessEurope
-Copa-Cogeca
-any consultancy representing the above mentioned parties
-US government
-Canadian government
-Brazilian government
-DG TRADE
-DG GROWTH
-DG AGRI
-DG ENV
-EFSA
-EEAS
-Secretariat-General

(between March 2015 and December 22th 2016).

When 'officials' are mentioned in this request, this includes the Commissioner and his Cabinet members, as well as the Commission President and his Cabinet.

Do not hesitate to get back to me should you need any further information which could facilitate your research.

Kind regards,
Vincent Harmsen

Health and Food Safety

Dear Mr Harmsen,

Thank you for your email dated 22/12/2016.

We hereby acknowledge receipt of your application for access to documents, which was registered today (23/12/2016) under reference number GestDem 2016/7243.

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 23/01/2017.

In case this time limit needs to be extended, you will be informed in due course.

You have lodged your application via the AsktheEU.org website. Please note that this is a private 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.

Yours faithfully,

SANTE ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS

European Commission
DG Health and Food Safety (SANTE)
Email: [DG SANTE request email]

show quoted sections

Health and Food Safety

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Harmsen,

 

Please find enclosed our letter registered under reference number
Ares(2017)192850 on above mention subject.

Please note this document is sent electronically only.

 

Best regards,

[1]logo_ec_17_colors_300dpi

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

DIRECTORATE-GENERAL For Health and Food Safety

 

Food and feed safety, Innovation

Pesticides and Biocides

 

References

Visible links

Health and Food Safety

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Harmsen,

 

Following your phone call today we have checked our records and we do not
have any access to information request registered under GestDem 2016/7255.
The proposal for a fair solution is indeed for the applications GestDem
2016/7243, 2016/7261 and 2017/40.

 

We tried to call you but could not reach you on the phone.  Please contact
us via email if you need any further clarification as well as your
position regarding our proposal for a fair solution.

 

Kind regards,

 

[1]cid:image001.png@01D15526.AA0AD590

European Commission
DG SANTE
Unit E4 – Pesticides and Biocides

 

References

Visible links

Health and Food Safety

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Harmsen,

 

As regards your request of access to documents GestDem No 2016/7243,
2016/7261 and 2017/40, I would  like to inform you that some of the third
parties that generated some of the documents that you requested asked us
for the identity of the petitioner.

 

Therefore, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 on the protection
of personal data, I would like to ask you whether you have any objections
to our disclosing your identity to the third parties?

 

I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience.

 

Kind regards,

 

 

[1]cid:image001.png@01D15526.AA0AD590
European Commission
DG SANTE
Unit E4 – Pesticides and Biocides

 

References

Visible links

Dear Unit E4,

With this email I would like to respond to your previous messages.

I think somewhere a mistake was made, perhaps also by the AsktheEU website, because I received the message that the request concerning the 'scientific studies' on the active substance glyphosate was -- and I quote here what I received -- 'registered on 23/12/2016 under GESTDEM 2016/7255 reference'.

But as long as it is registered properly (under 2016/7261 I understand), it should be perfectly fine.

Concerning your proposal to find a fair solution, I would like to respond point by point:

i. Agreed.
ii. Agreed, but with a small extension of the timeframe to: 'between March 2015 and January 17th 2017'.
iii. I would like to maintain this request.
iv. I would like to maintain the timeframe, but accept your proposal to receive the documents in subsequent batches. My preferred order of priority is: 1. The correspondences between DG SANTE and industry (individual companies, consultancy/lobby firms and industry groups), and 2. The correspondences between DG SANTE and other DGs/services/foreign governments.

In answer to your second writing, I would like to object to the disclosure of my personal data.

Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 does not allow the disclosure of my identity in document requests to third parties. Article 6 (1), sentence 2 of the Regulation states that the applicant is not obliged to state reasons for the application, hence the identity of the applicant is irrelevant to the document request outside of the conditions of Article 2, as the request for identity disclosure by this third party is an attempt to circumvent Article 6 (1).

Article 4.4 gives the Commission the right to consult with a third party, but the third party has no right of veto over the disclosure of documents - that is for the Commission to decide according to the exceptions in Regulation 1049/2001.

Please let me know if I can be of any more assistance.

Kind regards,
Vincent Harmsen

Health and Food Safety

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Harmsen,
 
Please find enclosed our letter registered under the reference number
Ares(2017)354636 on above mentioned subject.
Please note this document is sent electronically only.
 
Best regards,
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL For Health and Food Safety
 
Safety of the food chain
Pesticides and Biocides
 
 
 

Health and Food Safety

3 Attachments

Dear Mr Harmsen,
 
Please find enclosed an advanced copy of a letter on above mentioned
subject, signed by Mr X. Prats and registered under reference
Ares(2017)779808.
The original letter together with a CD-ROM containing the released
documents, are sent by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt as
requested by the procedures.
 
Best regards,
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL For Health and Food Safety
 
Food and feed safety, Innovation
Pesticides and Biocides
 
 
 
 

Health and Food Safety

3 Attachments

Dear Mr Harmsen,

 

Please find enclosed a letter and its attachment on above mentioned
subject, signed by Mr X. Prtas Monné and registered under reference
Ares(2017)1165189.

The original signed letter and a CD-Rom containing all released documents
is sent by registered mail with an acknowledgment of receipt as requested
by the procedures.

Best regards,

 

[1]logo_ec_17_colors_300dpi

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

DIRECTORATE-GENERAL For Health and Food Safety

 

Food and feed safety, Innovation

Pesticides and Biocides

 

 

 

 

References

Visible links

Health and Food Safety

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Harmsen,

Please find enclosed a letter on above mentioned subject signed by Mr M.
Flüh and registered under reference Ares(2017)1318463.

Please not this letter is sent electronically only,

Best regards,

 

[1]logo_ec_17_colors_300dpi

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

DIRECTORATE-GENERAL For Health and Food Safety

 

Food and feed safety, Innovation

Pesticides and Biocides

 

 

 

 

References

Visible links

Health and Food Safety

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Harmsen,
 
The reply concerning your application for access to documents (Ref:
GESTDEM No 2016/7243) is currently under signature and will reach you in
the following days. We apologise for this delay and any inconvenience
which may be caused.
 
Best regards,
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL For Health and Food Safety
 
Food and feed safety, innovation
Pesticides and Biocides
 
 
 

Health and Food Safety

3 Attachments

Dear Mr Harmsen,
 
Please find enclosed an advanced copy of a letter on above mentioned
subject, signed by Mr X. Prats and registered under reference
Ares(2017)2033136.
The original letter together with a CD-ROM containing the released
documents, are sent by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt as
requested by the procedures.
 
 
 
Best regards,
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL For Health and Food Safety
 
Food and feed safety, Innovation
Pesticides and Biocides