Meeting reports & correspondence about the Energy Charter Treaty

Trade did not have the information requested.

Dear Madams & Sirs,

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:

1) minutes and other reports of meetings of DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and the Secretary General as well as other representatives of the Energy Charter Secretariat (since January 2019);

3) all correspondence (including emails, letters, phone conversations) between DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and the Secretary General as well as other representatives of the Energy Charter Secretariat (since January 2019);

4) minutes and other reports of meetings between DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and representatives of companies and business associations, in which the modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty was discussed (since January 2019);

5) all correspondence (including emails, letters, phone conversations) between DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and representatives of companies and business associations, in which the modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty was discussed (since January 2019).

Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Corporate Europe Observatory
26 rue d'Edimbourg
1050 Brussels

1 Attachment

Dear Madam,
 
Thank you for your e-mail dated 15 January 2020. We hereby acknowledge
receipt of your application for access to documents, which was registered
today under the above mentioned reference number. 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 06/02/2020.
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 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 European Commission. We understand that the
third party running that website usually publishes the content of
applicants’ correspondence with the European Commission on that website.
This includes the personal data that you may have communicated to the
European 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 your correspondence with the
European Commission to be published on the AsktheEU.org website, you can
provide us with an alternative, private e-mail address for further
correspondence. In that case, the European Commission will send all future
electronic correspondence addressed to you only to that private address.
Yours sincerely,
Access to Documents Team
European Commission
DG TRADE
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Pia Eberhardt <[FOI #7574 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2020 12:03 PM
To: TRADE ACCES DOCUMENTS <[DG TRADE request email]>
Subject: access to documents request - Meeting reports & correspondence
about the Energy Charter Treaty
 
Dear Madams & Sirs,
 
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:
 
1) minutes and other reports of meetings of DG Trade officials and/or
representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and the
Secretary General as well as other representatives of the Energy Charter
Secretariat (since January 2019);
 
3) all correspondence (including emails, letters, phone conversations)
between DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the
Commissioner and the Cabinet) and the Secretary General as well as other
representatives of the Energy Charter Secretariat (since January 2019);
 
4) minutes and other reports of meetings between DG Trade officials and/or
representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and
representatives of companies and business associations, in which the
modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty was discussed (since January
2019);
 
5) all correspondence (including emails, letters, phone conversations)
between DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the
Commissioner and the Cabinet) and representatives of companies and
business associations, in which the modernisation of the Energy Charter
Treaty was discussed (since January 2019).
 
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Corporate Europe Observatory
26 rue d'Edimbourg
1050 Brussels
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------
 
This is a request for access to information under Article 15 of the TFEU
and, where applicable, Regulation 1049/2001 which has been sent via the
AsktheEU.org website.
 
Please kindly use this email address for all replies to this request:
[1][FOI #7574 email]
 
If [2][DG TRADE request email] is the wrong address for
information requests to Trade, please tell the AsktheEU.org team on email
[3][email address]
 
This message and all replies from Trade will be published on the
AsktheEU.org website. For more information see our dedicated page for EU
public officials at
[4]https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www....
 
 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #7574 email]
2. mailto:[DG TRADE request email]
3. mailto:[AsktheEU.org contact email]
4. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www....

hide quoted sections

Dear Madams & Sirs,

could you please update me on the status of this request? The time limit for the request already expired on 06/02/2020, but I have neither received the requested information nor heard anything about a potential extension of the deadline.

Yours faithfully,

Pia Eberhardt

Dear Ms Eberhardt,

Actually, our reply letter has been signed by the Director-General. You will receive the reply soon.

Kind regards,

Yours sincerely,
Access to Documents Team

European Commission
DG TRADE

-----Original Message-----
From: Pia Eberhardt <[FOI #7574 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2020 10:04 AM
To: TRADE ACCES DOCUMENTS <[DG TRADE request email]>
Subject: Re: GestDem 2020/0316 access to documents request - Meeting reports & correspondence about the Energy Charter Treaty

Dear Madams & Sirs,

could you please update me on the status of this request? The time limit for the request already expired on 06/02/2020, but I have neither received the requested information nor heard anything about a potential extension of the deadline.

Yours faithfully,

Pia Eberhardt

-----Original Message-----

Dear Madam,
 
Thank you for your e-mail dated 15 January 2020. We hereby acknowledge
receipt of your application for access to documents, which was registered
today under the above mentioned reference number. 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 06/02/2020.
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 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 European Commission. We understand that the
third party running that website usually publishes the content of
applicants’ correspondence with the European Commission on that website.
This includes the personal data that you may have communicated to the
European 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 your correspondence with the
European Commission to be published on the AsktheEU.org website, you can
provide us with an alternative, private e-mail address for further
correspondence. In that case, the European Commission will send all future
electronic correspondence addressed to you only to that private address.
Yours sincerely,
Access to Documents Team
European Commission
DG TRADE
 

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #7574 email]

This message and all replies from Trade will be published on the AsktheEU.org website. For more information see our dedicated page for EU public officials at https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www....

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

hide quoted sections

ve_trade.b.2(TRADE), Trade

1 Attachment

Please find attached document Ares(2020)1065312 from Ms WEYAND Sabine (TRADE) dated 19/02/2020.

Veuillez trouver ci-joint le document Ares(2020)1065312 de Mme WEYAND Sabine (TRADE) daté du 19/02/2020.

Dear Madams & Sirs at DG Trade,

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 'Meeting reports & correspondence about the Energy Charter Treaty' (Gestdem 2020/0316).

On 15 January 2020 I had requested the following documents from DG Trade:

1) minutes and other reports of meetings of DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and the Secretary General as well as other representatives of the Energy Charter Secretariat (since January 2019);

2) all correspondence (including emails, letters, phone conversations) between DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and the Secretary General as well as other representatives of the Energy Charter Secretariat (since January 2019);

3) minutes and other reports of meetings between DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and representatives of companies and business associations, in which the modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty was discussed (since January 2019);

4) all correspondence (including emails, letters, phone conversations) between DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and representatives of companies and business associations, in which the modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty was discussed (since January 2019).

On 19 February 2020 I received a response by DG Trade's Director General, informing me that no documents have been found that matched my request as there had been "no meetings with external stakeholders during this particular phase of the modernisation process".

May I kindly ask you to review this assessment with regards to point 1) and 2) of my request? I find it hard to imagine that there was no correspondence between the Energy Charter Secretariat and DG Trade since 1 January 2019 - and no meetings where both were present and there was a report by DG Trade.

According to DG Trade's Secretary General, in 2019, the EU and other Energy Charter Treaty parties focused on concluding preliminary talks on the modernisation process. The Energy Charter Secretariat has a key role in that process as "all correspondence or communications" in relation to the modernisation negotiations "should be addressed to the Secretariat" (amongst others) and as the Secretariat also distributes comments among the delegations (see here: https://www.energycharter.org/fileadmin/...). The EU indeed seems to have conveyed its negotiation position to the Secretariat, which summarised and published it (see here: https://www.energycharter.org/fileadmin/...). DG Trade, on the other hand, has a leading role within the Commission when it comes to the modernisation negotiations. This is why I find it hard to believe that there have been no contacts between DG Trade and the Energy Charter Secretariat between 1 January 2019 and 15 January 2020 and kindly ask you to revisit your files for reports and correspondence relating to such contacts.

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

Yours faithfully,

Pia Eberhardt
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
Rue d'Edimbourg 26
1050 Bruxelles
Belgium

ve_sg.accessdoc (SG), Trade

1 Attachment

Link: [1]File-List
Link: [2]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [3]themeData
Link: [4]colorSchemeMapping

[5]Ares(2020)1181816 - RE: Confirmatory application Gestdem 2020/0316

Sent by ve_sg.accessdoc (SG) <[email address]>. All responses have
to be sent to this email address.
Envoyé par ve_sg.accessdoc (SG) <[email address]>. Toutes les
réponses doivent être effectuées à cette adresse électronique.

Dear Madam,

Thank you for your email dated 25/02/2020 by which you request, pursuant
to Regulation No 1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament,
Council and Commission documents, a review of the position taken by the
Directorate General TRADE in reply to your initial application GESTDEM
2020/0316.

We hereby acknowledge receipt of your confirmatory application for access
to documents which was registered on 25/02/2020 (Ares(2020)1181503).

Your application will be handled within 15 working days (17/03/2020). In
case this time limit needs to be extended, you will be informed in due
course.

Please be informed that the answer to your confirmatory application is a
formal Commission decision that will be notified to you by express
delivery. Thank you for providing your contact phone number, so that the
external delivery service can contact you in case of absence.

Please note that the Commission will not use your phone number for any
other purpose than for informing the delivery service, and that it will
delete it immediately thereafter.

Yours faithfully,

 

ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS TEAM (GD)

 

[6]cid:image001.png@01D45409.F767C980

European Commission

Secretariat-General

SG C.1

[7][email address]

 

 

 

From: Pia Eberhardt <[email address]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2020 2:03 PM
To: SG ACCES DOCUMENTS <[email address]>
Subject: Confirmatory application Gestdem 2020/0316

 

Dear Madams & Sirs at the Secretariat General,

please find below a confirmatory application to my access to documents
request GESTDEM 2020/0316, which I have just sent to DG Trade via the
[8]asktheeu.org website.

 

The confirmatory application as well as my initial request and all
correspondence is also available on this
address: [9]https://www.asktheeu.org/en/request/meet...

 

I would appreciate if you could respond via the [10]asktheeu.org website.

 

Yours faithfully,

Pia Eberhardt

 

****************

Confirmatory application for access to documents request - Meeting reports
& correspondence about the Energy Charter Treaty

Dear Madams & Sirs at DG Trade,

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 'Meeting reports & correspondence about the
Energy Charter Treaty' (Gestdem 2020/0316).

On 15 January 2020 I had requested the following documents from DG Trade:

1) minutes and other reports of meetings of DG Trade officials and/or
representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and the
Secretary General as well as other representatives of the Energy Charter
Secretariat (since January 2019);

2) all correspondence (including emails, letters, phone conversations)
between DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the
Commissioner and the Cabinet) and the Secretary General as well as other
representatives of the Energy Charter Secretariat (since January 2019);

3) minutes and other reports of meetings between DG Trade officials and/or
representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and
representatives of companies and business associations, in which the
modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty was discussed (since January
2019);

4) all correspondence (including emails, letters, phone conversations)
between DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the
Commissioner and the Cabinet) and representatives of companies and
business associations, in which the modernisation of the Energy Charter
Treaty was discussed (since January 2019).

On 19 February 2020 I received a response by DG Trade's Director General,
informing me that no documents have been found that matched my request as
there had been "no meetings with external stakeholders during this
particular phase of the modernisation process".

May I kindly ask you to review this assessment with regards to point 1)
and 2) of my request? I find it hard to imagine that there was no
correspondence between the Energy Charter Secretariat and DG Trade since 1
January 2019 - and no meetings where both were present and there was a
report by DG Trade.

According to DG Trade's Secretary General, in 2019, the EU and other
Energy Charter Treaty parties focused on concluding preliminary talks on
the modernisation process. The Energy Charter Secretariat has a key role
in that process as "all correspondence or communications" in relation to
the modernisation negotiations "should be addressed to the Secretariat"
(amongst others) and as the Secretariat also distributes comments among
the delegations (see here:
[11]https://www.energycharter.org/fileadmin/...). The EU indeed seems to
have conveyed its negotiation position to the Secretariat, which
summarised and published it (see here:
[12]https://www.energycharter.org/fileadmin/...). DG Trade, on the other
hand, has a leading role within the Commission when it comes to the
modernisation negotiations. This is why I find it hard to believe that
there have been no contacts between DG Trade and the Energy Charter
Secretariat between 1 January 2019 and 15 January 2020 and kindly ask you
to revisit your files for reports and correspondence relating to such
contacts.

A full history of my request and all correspondence is available on the
Internet at this address: [13]https://www.asktheeu.org/en/request/meet...

Yours faithfully,

Pia Eberhardt
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
Rue d'Edimbourg 26
1050 Bruxelles
Belgium

 

 

References

Visible links
1. file:///tmp/cid:filelist.xml@01D5EBF0.E6F3E680
2. file:///tmp/cid:editdata.mso
3. file:///tmp/~~themedata~~
4. file:///tmp/~~colorschememapping~~
5. https://webgate.ec.testa.eu/Ares/documen...
7. mailto:[email address]
8. https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/askthe...
9. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.a...
10. https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/askthe...
11. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.e...
12. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.e...
13. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.a...

ve_sg.accessdoc (SG), Trade

1 Attachment

Link: [1]File-List
Link: [2]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [3]themeData
Link: [4]colorSchemeMapping

[5]Ares(2020)1609563 - Your confirmatory application for access to
documents under Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 – GESTDEM 2020/316

Sent by ve_sg.accessdoc (SG) <[email address]>. All responses have
to be sent to this email address.
Envoyé par ve_sg.accessdoc (SG) <[email address]>. Toutes les
réponses doivent être effectuées à cette adresse électronique.

Dear Ms Eberhardt,

 

I refer to your email of 25 February 2020, registered on the same day,
through which you submit a confirmatory application in accordance with
Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding public access to
European Parliament, Council and Commission documents ('Regulation (EC) No
1049/2001').

 

Your confirmatory application is currently being handled.

 

Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to conclude our consultations in
order to take a final decision and, therefore, we are not in a position to
reply to your confirmatory request within the provided time limit expiring
on 17 March 2020. Consequently, we have to extend this period by another
15 working days in accordance with Article 8(2) of Regulation (EC) No
1049/2001. The new deadline expires on 7 April 2020.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

María OLIVÁN AVILÉS
Head of Unit

[6]cid:image001.gif@01D13362.41D673C0

European Commission

Secretariat General

Unit C.1 (Transparency, Document Management and Access to Documents)

 

 

References

Visible links
1. file:///tmp/cid:filelist.xml@01D5FC45.4DBE5580
2. file:///tmp/cid:editdata.mso
3. file:///tmp/~~themedata~~
4. file:///tmp/~~colorschememapping~~
5. https://webgate.ec.testa.eu/Ares/documen...

ve_sg.accessdoc (SG), Trade

1 Attachment

Link: [1]File-List
Link: [2]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [3]themeData
Link: [4]colorSchemeMapping

[5]Ares(2020)1946272 - Your confirmatory application for access to
documents under Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 - GESTDEM 2020/0316

Sent by ve_sg.accessdoc (SG) <[email address]>. All responses have
to be sent to this email address.
Envoyé par ve_sg.accessdoc (SG) <[email address]>. Toutes les
réponses doivent être effectuées à cette adresse électronique.

Dear Ms Eberhardt,

I am writing in reference to your email of 25 February 2020, registered on
the same day, by which you submit a confirmatory application in accordance
with Article 7(2) of Regulation 1049/2001 regarding public access to
European Parliament, Council and Commission documents[6]^^[1] (hereafter
Regulation 1049/2001).

I also refer to our holding reply dated 17 March 2020, by which the time
limit for replying to your confirmatory request was extended by 15 working
days, pursuant to Article 8(2) of the Regulation. This extended time limit
expires on 7 April 2020.

Unfortunately, we are not yet in a position to provide you with our final
position within this deadline. However, I can assure you that we are doing
our utmost to provide you with a final reply as soon as possible. I regret
this additional delay and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this
may cause.

Yours sincerely,

María OLIVÁN AVILÉS
Head of Unit

[7]cid:image001.gif@01D13362.41D673C0

European Commission

Secretariat General

Unit C.1 (Transparency, Document Management and Access to Documents)

 

------------------------

[8][1]      OJ L145, 31.05.2001 p.43

References

Visible links
1. file:///tmp/cid:filelist.xml@01D60C17.728C5970
2. file:///tmp/cid:editdata.mso
3. file:///tmp/~~themedata~~
4. file:///tmp/~~colorschememapping~~
5. https://webgate.ec.testa.eu/Ares/documen...
6. file:///tmp/foiextract20200406-25317-1gs6mr1#_ftn1
8. file:///tmp/foiextract20200406-25317-1gs6mr1#_ftnref1

4 Attachments

Dear Ms Eberhardt,
 
Please find attached the electronic version of Commission Decision
C(2020)2352, as adopted by the European Commission on 8.4.2020.
 
Given the exceptional circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the
formal notification of the decision under Article 297 TFEU is being made
only in electronic form.
 
Please confirm receipt of the attached document by return e-mail.
 
Kind regards,
Oana Boldis
COMMISSION EUROPEENNE
SG.B2 – Equipe Certification
BERL 05/155
Tél: +32-2-29 71829
Email: [1][email address]
[2][IMG] [3][IMG]
Your tool  | Our help
 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://intragate.ec.europa.eu/decide/sep
3. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/wikis...

Good afternoon,
 
We are still awaiting your confirmation of receipt for the documents that
were addressed to you on the 15.4.2020. It is important for us to know
that you have well received the document.
 
Could you please confirm their receipt?
 
Kind regards,
 
Oana Boldis
 
COMMISSION EUROPEENNE
SG.B2 – Equipe Certification
BERL 05/155
Tél: +32-2-29 71829
Email: [1][email address]
 
 
_____________________________________________
From: SG GREFFE CERTIFICATION
Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2020 12:41 AM
To: '[FOI #7574 email]'
<[FOI #7574 email]>
Cc: BEVIERE Chantal (SG) <[email address]>
Subject: C(2020) 2352
 
 
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
 
Please find attached the electronic version of Commission Decision
C(2020)2352, as adopted by the European Commission on 8.4.2020.
 
<< File: C(2020)2352.pdf >>
Given the exceptional circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the
formal notification of the decision under Article 297 TFEU is being made
only in electronic form.
 
Please confirm receipt of the attached document by return e-mail.
 
Kind regards,
Oana Boldis
COMMISSION EUROPEENNE
SG.B2 – Equipe Certification
BERL 05/155
Tél: +32-2-29 71829
Email: [2][email address]
[3]<< OLE Object: Picture (Device Independent Bitmap) >> << OLE Object:
Picture (Device Independent Bitmap) >> [4]<< OLE Object: Picture (Device
Independent Bitmap) >>
Your tool  | Our help
 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]
3. https://intragate.ec.europa.eu/decide/sep
4. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/wikis...

Dear Oana Boldis,
please accept my apologies for not having sent you a confirmation before.
I have received all the documents on 15 April.

Yours faithfully,

Pia Eberhardt