Ref. Ares(2020)4551927 - 02/09/2020
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR INTERNAL MARKET, INDUSTRY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP
AND SMES
Coordination and Planning
Brussels, 2 September 2020
GROW.01/LB
BALANYA Belen
Corporate Europe Observatory
Rue d’Edimbourg 26,
1050 Brussels
Belgium
By email:
ask+request-8350-
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
Subject:
Your application for access to documents – GESTDEM 2020/4246
Dear Ms Balanya,
We refer to your e-mail of 12/07/2020 in which you make a request for access to
documents, registered on 13/07/2020 under the above-mentioned reference number.
1. Scope of your request
You request access to “
1- all correspondence (including email) between 1st December
2019 and 12 July 2020 between Commissioner Simson, Commissioner Timmermans,
Commissioner Breton, President van der Leyren, and/or their cabinets and/or officials
from the European Commission on one hand and representatives from IOGP, Shell,
Total, BP, Equinor, ZEP, the Global CCS Institute, Hydrogen Europe, the Hydrogen
Council, Business Europe, the European Roundtable for Industry, GasNaturally,
Eurogás, ENTSO-G, Snam, Enagás, Fluxys, Open Grid Europe, GRTGaz, Teréga,
Eurofer, ArcelorMittal, FTI Consulting, Fleishman Hillard, Alstom, Engie, Air Liquide,
Toyota, Gas for Climate consortium, Gas Infrastructure Europe on the other, in which
the Hydrogen strategy was addressed.
2 - list of meetings between 1st December 2019 and 12 July 2020 between officials and
representatives of the European Commission on one hand and representatives from
IOGP, Shell, Total, BP, Equinor, ZEP, the Global CCS Institute, Hydrogen Europe, the
Hydrogen Council, Business Europe, the European Roundtable for Industry,
GasNaturally, Eurogás,ENTSO-G, Snam, Enagás, Fluxys, Open Grid Europe, GRTGaz,
Teréga, Eurofer, ArcelorMittal, FTI Consulting, Fleishman Hillard, Alstom, Engie, Air
Liquide, Toyota, Gas for Climate consortium, Gas Infrastructure Europe on the other, in
which the the Hydrogen strategy was addressed.
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
3 - minutes of the meetings mentioned above ”
This reply relates only to the documents held by the Directorate-General for Internal
Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs and by the Cabinet of Commissioner
Breton.
2.
Identification and assessment of the concerned documents
We have identified 8 documents and their attachments, that fall within the scope of your
request.
You will find attached a table listing the identified documents and summarizing the
outcome of the assessment carried out on the basis of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001.
A complete disclosure of the identified documents is prevented by the exception
concerning the protection of privacy and the integrity of the individual outlined in
Article 4(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, because they contain the following
personal data:
-the names/initials and contact information of Commission staff members
not pertaining to the senior management;
-the names/initials and contact details of other natural persons;
-other information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person,
such as e-mail addresses.
3.
Reasons for partial access
Article 9(1)(b) of the Data Protection Regulation does not allow the transmission of these
personal data, except if you prove that it is necessary to have the data transmitted to you
for a specific purpose in the public interest and where there is no reason to assume that
the legitimate interests of the data subject might be prejudiced. In your request, you do
not express any particular interest to have access to these personal data nor do you put
forward any arguments to establish the necessity to have the data transmitted for a
specific purpose in the public interest.
Consequently, I conclude that, pursuant to Article 4(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No
1049/2001, access cannot be granted to the personal data contained in the requested
documents, as the need to obtain access thereto for a purpose in the public interest has
not been substantiated and there is no reason to think that the legitimate interests of the
individuals concerned would not be prejudiced by disclosure of the personal data
concerned.
In case you would disagree with this position, you are entitled, in accordance with Article
7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, to submit a confirmatory application requesting
the Commission to review this position.
4.
Means of redress
Such a confirmatory application should be addressed within 15 working days upon
receipt of this letter to the Secretariat-General of the Commission at the following
address:
European Commission
Secretariat-General
2
Unit C.1. ‘Transparency, Document Management and Access to Documents’
BERL 7/076
B-1049 Brussels, or by email t
o: xxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
Yours sincerely,
(e-signed)
Matthias SCHMIDT‑ GERDTS
Head of Unit
3
Electronically signed on 02/09/2020 09:27 (UTC+02) in accordance with article 4.2 (Validity of electronic documents) of Commission Decision 2004/563