Stakeholder contacts on TTIP (since 12 December 2014)
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) a list of meetings of DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and stakeholders, including trade unions, civil society groups, as well as representatives of individual companies, industry associations, law firms, public consultancies and think tanks in which the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership TTIP was discussed (between 12 December 2014 and today);
2) minutes and other reports of these meetings;
3) all correspondence (including emails) between DG Trade officials and/or representatives (including the Commissioner and the Cabinet) and stakeholders, including trade unions, civil society groups, as well as representatives of individual companies, industry associations, law firms, public consultancies as well as think tanks regarding the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership TTIP (between 12 December 2014 and today).
I would appreciate if you could take the Code of Good Administrational Behaviour into account when considering section 1 of this request.
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
Could you please indicate your mailing address for the official registration of this request?
Thank you in advance.
Best regards,
DG TRADE
Dear Madams & Sirs,
I have just sent you an email with the details.
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
We thank you for your mailing address information you communicated to us today.
We hereby acknowledge receipt of your application by email dated 19/09/2015 for access to documents, which was registered today under reference number GestDem 2015/5085.
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 19/10/2015. 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.
Best regards,
DG TRADE
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
We refer to your e-mail dated 19/09/2015 in which you make a request for access to documents, registered on 28/09/2015 under the above mentioned reference number.
Your application is currently being handled. However, we were not in a position to complete the handling of your application within the time limit of 15 working days, which expired on 19/10/2015. We apologize for not having informed you on time.
An extended time limit is needed as your application potentially concerns a large number of documents. The unit responsible is currently identifying the documents.
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 10/11/2015.
We apologise for this delay and for any inconvenience this may cause.
Yours sincerely,
DG TRADE
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
With reference to your above mentioned request, the reply deadline of which is today, we would like to let you know that we are currently identifying the documents. It is clear by now that your application concerns a very large number of documents (currently around 280), which need to be assessed individually. Naturally we were not able to carry out this work within the normal time limits set out in Article 7 of Regulation 1049/2001.
The Regulation also provides for a possibility to confer with applicants in order to find a fair solution when an application concerns a very large number of documents. Article 6(3) provides that "in the event of an application relating to a very long document or to very large number of documents, the institution concerned may confer with the applicant informally, with a view to finding a fair solution". Based on this provision, we propose to handle your application in successive stages. The unit dealing with your request has proposed to have the list of meetings ready by early next year. The related documents would then follow in batches.
Please note that the unit in question that is dealing with the TTIP negotiations has a large number of ongoing requests from many applicants and they are handling all of them as timely as they can with the resources that are available to them. Therefore we would like to ask you for your continued patience and understanding in this matter.
Best regards,
DG TRADE
Dear Madams and Sirs,
thank you for your message from 10 November, updating me on the status of this request. Please accept my apologies for responding only now.
I can see the need for finding a fair solution for a request that concerns a large number of documents and accept your proposal. However, can I please ask you to provide me with specific deadlines, i.e. an exact date for the release of the list of documents, plus, as soon as you have released that list, concrete dates, for which I can accept the respective following batches of documents?
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
Unfortunately we are not able to give exact dates of delivery for the parts of our reply that were indicated in our previous message. The list of meetings should be ready in January. As soon as we know more precisely we can let you know.
Thank you for your understanding and patience.
Best regards,
DG TRADE
Dear Ms Eberhard,
Please find attached a list of meetings that you have requested as part of
your request Gestdem 2015/5085. This list is provided not under Regulation
1049/2001, but under the Code of Good Administrational behaviour.
Please note that this list does not include meetings of i) Commissioner
Cecilia Malmström or ii) her Cabinet members with organisations and
self-employed individuals that are publicly available on her website:
i)
[1]http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiati...
ii)
[2]http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiati...
As a note of clarification let me add that our doors are always open (to
companies, associations, trade unions, NGOs, civil society, academics,
etc), in addition to Member state officials or MEPs, to those who wish to
share input, priorities or concerns regarding the negotiations with the
European Commission. As a matter of policy it is important for you to be
aware that we do not distinguish between persons seeking meetings, based
on who they represent. We try to meet all requests for meetings regardless
of their origin.
Concerning the attached list, any divergence in the overall number of
meetings with our various stakeholders is therefore simply a reflection of
the level of activity and interest each group has shown in TTIP. Over the
period concerned I can also confirm that we have responded positively to
every meeting request from a stakeholder and not turned anybody down.
We will now work on the remaining part of your request. We hope to come
back to you with more precise date of delivery towards the end of March.
Kind regards,
Indre
Indre VAICEKAUSKAITE
[3]http://ec.europa.eu/trade/images/ec-logo...
European Commission
DG TRADE
Unit E1 – USA and Canada
CHAR 6/236
B-1049 Brussels/Belgium
+32 2 295 61 07
[4][email address]
References
Visible links
1. http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiati...
2. http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiati...
4. mailto:[email address]
Dear Madams & Sirs,
thank you for your response and releasing the document related to the first part of my request.
When dealing with the remaining part of the request, could I ask you to:
a) prioritise it over other ongoing requests of mine
b) in the request, prioritise meeting reports (over correspondence), and
c) prioritise the reports of the following meetings identified in your list:
8. 2014 11 19 BusinessEurope (IPR in TTIP )
33. 2015 01 20 VDA (German Automotive industry)
41. 2015 01 28 ACEA TEP-EXT
46. 2015 02 05, 2nd Annual EU-US Trade Conference Sector-specific breakout session: Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals
54. 2015 02 16 BusinessEurope
59. 2015 02 25 VDA (German Automotive industry)
70. 2015 03 05 BusinessEurope
97. 2015 03 27 BusinessEurope
109. 2015 04 16, Chemicals industry
115. 2015 04 23, BASF
118. 2015 04 28, European Crop Protection Association (ECPA)
131. 2015 05 08 BusinessEurope
134. 2015 05 19, Dow Chemical Company
137. 2015 05 20 ACEA
149. 2015 06 01 Polish Car industry
150. 2015 06 01, EU Conference on endocrine disruptors
156. 2015 06 10 stakeholders on regulatory cooperation
158. 2015 06 11 VDA (German Automotive industry), DGB (Trade union Confederation), Federation of Consumer Organisations, Federal Foreign Office
161. 2015 06 16 AMCHAM EU
179. 2015 07 01 Toyota
181. 2015 07 01 Ford Motor Company
188. 2015 07 08 ACEA
205. 2015 09 08 BusinessEurope
I would really appreciate if you could take those priorities into account.
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
We have taken note of your wishes indicated below and we will try to send you as a first batch the meeting reports for the list of meetings you give in your message. The units are currently assessing the reports.
Yesterday you wrote to us about your request 2015/5130. In this file the unfortunate delay is due to additional checks and approval of related colleagues/units as well as contact with a third party involved. We are now finalising our reply.
Best regards,
DG TRADE / ATD TEAM
Dear Madams and Sirs,
In your email of 11 February 2016, you wrote that you would provide a more precise date of delivery towards the end of March. As it is now 20 April, could I ask you provide an update as to when I can expect to start receiving the documents identified? Prioritising, as you agreed, the meeting reports identified in my email of 29 February.
Many thanks for your prompt response.
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
Thank you for your message.
The 23 meeting reports as per your list of priorities have been identified and assessed. We still need to draft the reply letter and circulate the file before signature. The colleagues in the TTIP team are preparing for another round of negotiations next week, due to which there might be a delay still in compiling the reply for the reports identified in many units. We will update you on this as soon as possible.
We are working on your reply and apologize for the delay.
Best regards,
DG TRADE
Dear Madams and Sirs,
Thank you, I look forward to receiving the prioritised 23 meeting reports as soon as is possible then, and the remaining documents in due course.
Of the remaining 195 or so meeting reports, could I once again ask you to prioritise the reports of the following meetings identified in your list:
19. 2014 12 17 Meeting with EFPIA (TTIP, Access to Medicines, IP Latin Am.)
30. 2015 01 19 Johnson & Johnson
58. 2015 02 24 Participation as speaker in Conference on TTIP and Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics; Visit to two cosmetics enterprises, participation in brainstorm meeting with industrial stakeholders organised by Polish cosmetics industry
61. 2015 02 26 Pharmaceutical Sector
74. 2015 03 09 European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA)
79. 2015 03 12 Conference with health care industry
112. 2015 04 22 European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA)
144. 2015 05 27 Stakeholder meeting on TTIP and Health
192. 2015 07 16 EPFIA and EGA
After releasing the first 23 priority documents, I would once again greatly appreciate it if you could take the above priorities into account.
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Dear Madams and Sirs,
Further to my emails in April, and your explanation that the then upcoming TTIP negotiation round could cause delay in the reply to my request, as it is now mid May, could I ask you to update me once again on when I will begin to receive the batches of documents?
I greatly appreciate your prompt reply.
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
The reply with the 21 documents for the 23 meetings of your first priority batch is ready and circulating for signature now.
The colleagues in the unit in charge of TTIP are working on assessing the next batch as per your email of 22 April.
We apologize for these documents reaching you with a delay but would like to underline that we are handling these as fast as we can.
Best regards,
DG TRADE
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
With reference to your access to documents request registered as Gestdem
2015/5085, please find attached our reply. This decision will be sent to
you via registered mail also.
We would greatly appreciate if you could acknowledge the receipt of this
email.
Yours sincerely,
[1]http://ec.europa.eu/trade/images/ec-logo...
European Commission
DG TRADE
On EU trade relations with the US, please visit:
[2]http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countri...
[3]http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focu...
References
Visible links
2. http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countri...
3. http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focu...
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
With reference to your access to documents request registered as Gestdem
2015/5085, please find attached our reply (II part). This decision will be
sent to you via registered mail also.
We would greatly appreciate if you could acknowledge the receipt of this
email.
Yours sincerely,
[1]http://ec.europa.eu/trade/images/ec-logo...
European Commission
DG TRADE
On EU trade relations with the US, please visit:
[2]http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countri...
[3]http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focu...
References
Visible links
2. http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countri...
3. http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focu...
Dear Madams and Sirs,
I confirm that I have received your emails from 5 July with the first two batches of documents (corresponding to those I outlined as priorities). Many thanks.
I also look forward to receiving the remaining documents in due course.
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
Further to our below mail, we have just sent out as a reply for yet
another request the enclosed TTIP stakeholder meeting list (2015) that
seems to include more meetings/events etc. than what was in the list sent
to you in February. As this relates to your request and more information
has now been released we also provide this to you.
Best regards,
DG TRADE
From: VAICEKAUSKAITE Indre (TRADE)
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2016 12:23 PM
To: '[FOI #2287 email]'
Cc: TRADE ACCES DOCUMENTS
Subject: Reply to Gestdem 2015/5085 - Part1
Dear Ms Eberhard,
Please find attached a list of meetings that you have requested as part of
your request Gestdem 2015/5085. This list is provided not under Regulation
1049/2001, but under the Code of Good Administrational behaviour.
Please note that this list does not include meetings of i) Commissioner
Cecilia Malmström or ii) her Cabinet members with organisations and
self-employed individuals that are publicly available on her website:
i)
[1]http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiati...
ii)
[2]http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiati...
As a note of clarification let me add that our doors are always open (to
companies, associations, trade unions, NGOs, civil society, academics,
etc), in addition to Member state officials or MEPs, to those who wish to
share input, priorities or concerns regarding the negotiations with the
European Commission. As a matter of policy it is important for you to be
aware that we do not distinguish between persons seeking meetings, based
on who they represent. We try to meet all requests for meetings regardless
of their origin.
Concerning the attached list, any divergence in the overall number of
meetings with our various stakeholders is therefore simply a reflection of
the level of activity and interest each group has shown in TTIP. Over the
period concerned I can also confirm that we have responded positively to
every meeting request from a stakeholder and not turned anybody down.
We will now work on the remaining part of your request. We hope to come
back to you with more precise date of delivery towards the end of March.
Kind regards,
Indre
Indre VAICEKAUSKAITE
[3]http://ec.europa.eu/trade/images/ec-logo...
European Commission
DG TRADE
Unit E1 – USA and Canada
CHAR 6/236
B-1049 Brussels/Belgium
+32 2 295 61 07
[4][email address]
References
Visible links
1. http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiati...
2. http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiati...
4. mailto:[email address]
Dear Madams & Sirs,
I have two questions regarding request 2015/5085:
First, would it be possible to upload your different parts of the response, which I received via email, to this website?
And, second, is the request closed now or are there any outstanding documents, which are still being assessed? That wasn't clear to me from your last response.
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
Thank you for your message.
Regarding your two questions, first, our replies are always sent to the
email address provided by the applicant, we don’t upload them on any
website. We see that batches I and II (5 July 2016) were sent to the
asktheeu -address of your request. Then batch III (28 Oct 2016), batch IV
(25 Nov 2016) and batch V (2 March 2017) were sent to your personal
address that you provided to us on 28 September 2015. Please let us know
if we need to resend something.
As for the remaining parts of your reply, we are working on the last two
batches, total of about 100 documents. We are currently assessing these
documents. As soon as they are delivered to you we shall close your
request.
Best regards,
Access to Documents Team
[1]http://ec.europa.eu/trade/images/ec-logo...
European Commission
DG TRADE
Dear Madams & Sirs,
thank you very much for the swift response and the clarification.
Regarding my first question, what I wanted to suggest is that you send batches III to V also to the asktheeu-address of my request (not just my personal address). Would that be possible?
I am looking forward to receiving the remaining documents soon.
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
As requested, resending batch IV.
Please note that the attachment of document 18 is available online:
[1]https://www.vdtuev.de/dok_view?oid=516460
Best regards,
DG TRADE
References
Visible links
1. https://www.vdtuev.de/dok_view?oid=516460
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
The batches III, IV and V have now been sent to the above address.
Best regards,
Access to Documents Team
[1]http://ec.europa.eu/trade/images/ec-logo...
European Commission
DG TRADE
Dear Madams & Sirs,
thank you very much for re-sending the documents to the asktheeu website/ email address.
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Dear Madams & Sirs,
would you be so kind to update me on the state of this request?
Two months ago you informed me that you were dealing with the remaining parts of the request. Can you please let me know when I can expect the final batches of your response?
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
Thank you for your email.
As we informed you, we are working on the last two batches of documents,
containing about 100 documents. One of these batches is almost ready and
we aim at sending it very soon. The last batch is being prepared by the
competent unit and will be soon put in circulation for signature of our
Director-General.
Yours sincerely,
Access to Documents Team
[1]http://ec.europa.eu/trade/images/ec-logo...
European Commission
DG TRADE
Dear Madams & Sirs,
thank you very much for the update. I am looking forward to receiving the next batch.
Yours faithfully,
Pia Eberhardt
Dear Ms Eberhardt,
Please find attached document Ares(2017)3361507 regarding "Reply to an access to documents request - Eberhardt 2015/5085 batch VI - meeting reports on TTIP" sent by Mr GUELLNER Lutz on 04/07/2017.
Best regards,
Access to Documents Team
DG TRADE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: This e-mail was automatically generated by the European Commission's central mail registration system.
Replies by e-mail must be addressed to the original sender GUELLNER Lutz (mailto:[email address]).
Remarque : Cet e-mail a été généré automatiquement par le système d'enregistrement central du courrier de la Commission européenne.
Toute réponse éventuelle par e-mail doit être adressée à l'expéditeur en personne, à savoir GUELLNER Lutz (mailto:[email address]).
Veuillez trouver ci-joint le document Ares(2017)3665978 concernant "Your application for access to documents – Ref GestDem No 2015/5085" envoyé par M/Mme DEMARTY Jean-Luc le 20/07/2017.
Please find attached document Ares(2017)3665978 regarding "Your application for access to documents – Ref GestDem No 2015/5085" sent by Mr/Ms DEMARTY Jean-Luc on 20/07/2017.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: This e-mail was automatically generated by the European Commission's central mail registration system.
Replies by e-mail must be addressed to the original sender DEMARTY Jean-Luc (mailto:[email address]).
Remarque : Cet e-mail a été généré automatiquement par le système d'enregistrement central du courrier de la Commission européenne.
Toute réponse éventuelle par e-mail doit être adressée à l'expéditeur en personne, à savoir DEMARTY Jean-Luc (mailto:[email address]).
Dear Madams & Sirs,
thank you for this last batch of documents.
Yours sincerely,
Pia Eberhardt