Dies ist eine HTML Version eines Anhanges der Informationsfreiheitsanfrage 'Travel expenses for First Vice President Timmermans'.



 
Ref. Ares(2016)6927225 - 13/12/2016
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
 
OFFICE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION AND PAYMENT OF INDIVIDUAL ENTITLEMENTS 
 
 The Director 
 
Brussels, 13/12/2016 
PMO/VG/FS 
Ms Helen Darbishire 
Access Info Europe  
Calle Cava de San Miguel 8, 4c 
28005 Madrid  
Spain 
 
E-mail:  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx  
Subject: 
Your application for access to documents – Ref GestDem N° 2016/5975 
We refer to your e-mail dated 25 October 2016 in which you request access to documents, 
registered the same day under the reference number mentioned above. 
You request access to the travel expenses of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans for the 
period 15 March 2015 to 15 May 2015 inclusive. More specifically, you seek to obtain details 
on "both expenditure report and expense statement, including daily allowances, 
accommodation, misc. costs, meals deductions, holiday deductions, increased amount on 
exchange rate, amount paid for mission performer, advance paid, balance due and (again) 
total mission cost (…), travel agency costs, other costs, and the total for third parties", as 
contained in the mission summary fiches. You also seek to obtain details regarding the 
purpose of the mission, the name of the mission performer, the dates and place of the mission. 
We enclose a copy of the documents requested. 
You may reuse the documents requested free of charge for non-commercial and commercial 
purposes provided that the source is acknowledged, that you do not distort the original 
meaning or message of the documents. Please note that the Commission does not assume 
liability stemming from the reuse.  
Please note however that the documents to which you have requested access contain personal 
data. In particular, they contain the name and contact details of the staff member who processed 
the expenditure settlement request, the id number and contact details of the Commissioner. 
Pursuant to Article 4(1) (b) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, access to a document has to be 
refused if its disclosure would undermine the protection of privacy and the integrity of the 
individual, in particular in accordance with Community legislation regarding the protection of 
personal data. The applicable legislation in this field is Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals 
with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on 
the free movement of such data. When access is requested to documents containing personal data, 
Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 becomes fully applicable. According to Article 8(b) of this 
Regulation, personal data shall only be transferred to recipients if they establish the necessity of 
European Commission - B-1049 Brussels – Belgium - Telephone: (32-2) 299 11 11 
Office: SC27 04/018 - Telephone: direct line (32-2) 296 95 96  Fax: (32-2) 296 43 30 
 
E-mail: xxxxxxxx.xxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx 


having the data transferred to them and if there is no reason to assume that the legitimate rights of 
the persons concerned might be prejudiced. 
We consider that, with the information available, the necessity of disclosing the aforementioned 
personal data to you has not been established and/or that it cannot be assumed that such 
disclosure would not prejudice the legitimate rights of the persons concerned. Therefore, we are 
disclosing the documents requested expunged from this personal data. 
Please note also that some parts of the documents have been blanked out as they fall outside the 
scope of the request. This concerns in particular the internal communications between the PMO 
and the mission performer in order to clarify specific points concerning the statement of 
expenses. 
In accordance with Article 7(2) of Regulation 1049/2001, you are entitled to make a confirmatory 
application requesting the Commission to review this position. 
Such a confirmatory application should be addressed within 15 working days upon receipt of this 
letter to the Secretary-General of the Commission at the following address: 
European Commission 
Secretary-General 
Transparency unit SG-B-4 
BERL 5/288 
B-1049 Bruxelles 
or by email to: xxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx 
Yours sincerely, 
[Signed] 
Veronica Gaffey 
Enclosure: Copy of the documents requested 
Electronically signed on 12/12/2016 18:15 (UTC+01) in accordance with article 4.2 (Validity of electronic documents) of Commission Decision 2004/563