Ref. Ares(2021)3562871 - 31/05/2021
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL
CLIMATE ACTION
Legal Affairs, Inter-Institutional Relations & Communication
Brussels
Barnaby Pace
Global Witness
Rue Belliard 53
1000, Bruxelles
Belgique
Advance copy by email: ask+request-9415-
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
Subject:
Your application for access to documents – Ref GestDem No 2021/2974
Dear Mr Pace,
We refer to your e-mail dated 4 May 2021 in which you make a request for access to
documents, registered on 6 May 2021 under the above-mentioned reference number.
Your requested access to:
“
All documents—including but not limited to correspondence, emails, minutes, notes
(hand written or electronic), audio or video recordings, verbatim reports, operational
conclusions, lines to take, briefings, and presentations—related to the meeting on April
26 between Helena Braun and ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical”.
DG CLIMA has identified one document within the scope of your application. Following an
examination of the document under the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, I
regret to inform you that a complete disclosure of the document 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: names and contact
information of Commission staff members not pertaining to the senior management; names
and contact details of other natural persons and other information relating to an identified or
identifiable natural person.
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
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111
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 document, 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.
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
Unit C.1. ‘Transparency, Document Management and Access to Documents’
BERL 7/076
B-1049 Brussels, or by email to:
xxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
Yours sincerely,
(e-signed)
Luca DE CARLI
2
Electronically signed on 28/05/2021 10:20 (UTC+02) in accordance with article 11 of Commission Decision C(2020) 4482
