Ref. Ares(2021)3024303 - 06/05/2021
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
SECRETARIAT-GENERAL
Directorate A - Strategy, Better Regulation & Corporate Governance
SG.A.2 - Evaluation & Impact Assessment, Regulatory Scrutiny Board Secretariat
Brussels
SG.A.2/AF
Subject: Your request under Regulation (EC) No 1049/20011 regarding public
access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents– Ref GestDem
2021/2236
Dear Mr Diogo,
We refer to your message dated 20/03/2021 in which you make a request for access to
documents concerning all documents - including but not limited to minutes, (hand-
written) notes, audio recordings, verbatim reports, operational conclusions, lines to take,
briefings, e-mails, and presentations - related to all meetings between member of the
Commission and representatives of Business Europe from July 2020 to the present,.
This reply
concerns only the meeting between Vice-President Šefčovič and social
partners, including Business Europe, which took place on 7/10/20202.
We have identified the following documents as being concerned by your application:
1. Invitation letter (Ares(2020)5891672
2. Table of content
(Ares(2021)2994270)
3. Speaking points social partners
(Ares(2021)2994270)
4. Steering briefing
(Ares(2021)2994270)
5. Commission work programme
(Ares(2021)2994270)
6. Foresight
(Ares(2021)2994270)
7. Better regulation
(Ares(2021)2994270)
8. List of participants
(Ares(2021)2994270)
9. Letter of 2 March 2020 Ares(2020)1307870
1 OJ L145, 31.05.2001, page 43.
2 Please note that the meeting finally took place on 7/10/2020, even though the briefing material refers to
6/10/2020
We enclose the requested documents. However, a complete disclosure of documents 4 to
9 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 it
contains the names of Commission staff members not pertaining to senior management,
staff of the cabinet of Vice President Šefčovič that are not Members and private data of
outside individuals.
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 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.
You may reuse the documents disclosed free of charge and for non-commercial and
commercial purposes provided that the source is acknowledged and 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.
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, Document Management & Access to Documents (SG.C.1)
BERL 7/076
B-1049 Brussels
or by email to:
xxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
Yours sincerely
Antonina CIPOLLONE
2