Dear Competition,

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:

In February 2023, executive Vice-President Vestager received a letter from the "European Encyclopedia Network", representing several publishing entities concerning questions of competition. According to news reports and press releases, she has attended meetings with publishers from lex.dk at around the same time.

I would like to receive a copy of all information the European Commission (including but not limited the units under the authority of VP Vestager) concerning the European Encyclopedia network

or

any of the publishers represented by this network acting individually, including:

Bulgarian Encyclopedia Scientific Information Centre / Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

The Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography

Foreningen lex.dk / lex.dk

Georgian Encyclopedia / Georgian National Academy of Sciences

Brockhaus NE

Latvian National Encyclopedia / National Library of Latvia

Lithuanian Science and Encyclopedia Publishing Center / Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Montenegrin Centre of Lexicography / Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Art

Great Norwegian Encyclopedia

Encyclopaedia Beliana / Slovak Academy of Sciences

(Swedish) National Encyclopedia

These documents should include internal and inter-service communication, drafts, memos and notes as well as briefing documents for VP Vestager and other members of the Commission and staff.

Yours faithfully,

Mathias Schindler

Dear DG Competition,

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 '"European Encyclopedia Network" / Vestager'.

The grounds for my application are as follows:

The decision is based on a faulty application of the exemptions provided by Regulation 1049/2001.

The decision to refuse access to the requested documents on the grounds of the protection of the commercial interests of the European Union is not justified.

Moreover, the decision to refuse access does not sufficiently consider the public interest in disclosure, nor does it adequately balance this against the commercial interests invoked. In addition, the grounds for the refusal are not specified with sufficient clarity to allow for effective judicial review.

Therefore, I respectfully request that you reconsider your decision and grant access to the requested documents.

Regarding the reasons for the refusal of access, I would like to highlight that the European Commission did not provide a detailed list of the documents that fall within the scope of my request and did not provide specific reasons for each of them. Instead, a blanket excuse was given which does not provide adequate justification for the refusal.

Furthermore, I have reason to believe that there may be documents that are within the scope of my request that the Commission has not included in the process. This lack of transparency raises concerns about the Commission's handling of access to documents requests.

In addition, I would like to emphasize that the Commission erred in not partially disclosing documents through redaction or other means. This would have allowed for the release of information that is not exempt from disclosure, while protecting sensitive information.

Finally, I believe that there is an overriding public interest in the disclosure of the requested documents. Access to information on the European Encyclopedia Network is of significant public interest, particularly given the potential impact of the network on the European cultural landscape. The public has a right to access this information in order to make informed decisions and engage in meaningful debate.

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

Yours faithfully,

Mathias Schindler

Hello,

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the recent communication I received from the European Commission concerning my confirmatory request for access to Commission documents, as per case 2023/1929 registered on 8 May 2023.

In the email dated May 26, it was stated that the Commission requires an extension of 15 additional working days beyond the prescribed time limit outlined in Article 8(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001. I regret to inform you that this communication fails to adhere to the necessary requirements stipulated in Article 8(2) of the aforementioned regulation.

According to Article 8(2), an extension beyond the initial time limit is only permissible in exceptional cases. However, the Commission's email did not provide any indication or explanation to suggest that my case falls under such exceptional circumstances. It is crucial that the Commission justifies any extension by providing detailed reasons that warrant such an exception. Regrettably, this information was absent from the communication I received.

Therefore, I kindly request that the European Commission promptly provides a detailed reasoning for considering my case as exceptional and necessitating an extension. It is my firm belief that compliance with the transparency requirements set forth in Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 is of utmost importance, and Article 8(2) specifically emphasizes the need for clear justifications in exceptional cases.

I must inform you that unless the European Commission adheres to the regulation, specifically Article 8(2), by providing detailed reasoning for the extension and clearly demonstrating the exceptional circumstances, I cannot accept any further delay beyond the original prescribed time limit.

I trust that you understand the importance of upholding the principles of transparency and accountability enshrined in Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001. I look forward to receiving a prompt response addressing my concerns and providing the requested detailed reasoning in accordance with the regulation.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I anticipate a swift and satisfactory resolution.

Yours sincerely,
Mathias Schindler

Greetings,

Thank you for your prompt response. I appreciate your acknowledgment of the delay and your ongoing efforts in handling my request. However, I would like to address a particular concern regarding the exceptional circumstances cited for the extension of the time limit, as mentioned in your previous email.

In your response, you mentioned that the delay is due to ongoing "internal consultations" between the services involved in my file. While I understand that internal consultations are a regular part of the process, they do not appear to constitute exceptional circumstances as required by Article 8(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001. In fact, the mention of such consultations suggests that this is a routine case rather than an exceptional one.

Considering the aforementioned point, I kindly request that the European Commission provides a detailed explanation regarding the exceptional circumstances that warrant the extension of the time limit for my confirmatory request. It is crucial to adhere to the transparency requirements outlined in Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, which includes justifying any extension with clear and specific reasoning.

I appreciate your understanding and cooperation thus far. However, I must emphasize that no extension can be granted without conformity with Article 8(2) of the regulation, which requires a valid justification for exceptional circumstances.

Furthermore, I would like to remind you that the original deadline, as confirmed by the Commission in their email dated May 8, 2023, is June 1, 2023. Given this timeline, I kindly request a prompt response that addresses my concerns and provides the required detailed reasoning for the exceptional circumstances justifying the extension.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to receiving a prompt response that addresses my concerns and provides the necessary information.

Yours sincerely,

Mathias Schindler

Greetings,

this request will soon be unanswered for about one year. Would you like a cake for this upcoming achievement?

Yours faithfully,

Mathias Schindler

Dear Competition,

What is the status of the confirmatory application in the case 2023/1929?

Yours faithfully,

Mathias Schindler

Dear SUROWKA-BOGUS Hanna,

What is the status of the confirmatory application in the case 2023/1929?

Yours faithfully,

Mathias Schindler