Ref. Ares(2021)4414341 - 07/07/2021
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
SECRETARIAT-GENERAL
Directorate D - Twin Transition, Economic & Social Affairs
The Director
Brussels
SG.D.1
Venetia Roxburgh
40 Bermondsey Street
London
United Kingdom
By email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
Subject:
Your applications for access to documents – GESTDEM 2021/3445 and GESTDEM
2021/3446
Dear Madam,
We refer to your e-mail of 24 May 2021 in which you make a request for access to documents, registered on
26 May 2021 under the above-mentioned reference number.
You request access to all documentation (including but not limited to all email correspondence, attendance
lists, agendas, background papers, transcripts, recordings and minutes/notes) relating to the meeting listed
below:
1. Between Eurofer and Anthony Whelan, Cabinet member of President von der Leyen on the 26th June
2020;
2. Between Eurofer and Linsey Mccallum, Cabinet member of Margrethe Vestager on the 5th May
2020;
3. Between Eurofer and Vice President Frans Timmermans on the 29th January 2020.
The application also concerns all documentation (including but not limited to all email correspondence,
attendance lists, agendas, background papers, transcripts, recordings and minutes/notes) relating to the
meeting listed below:
1. Between Eurofer and Diederik Samsom, Cabinet member of Frans Timmermans, on the 24th
February 2021;
2. Between Eurofer and Vice President Frans Timmermans, on the 26th January 2021;
3. Between Eurofer and Antoine Colombani, Cabinet member of Frans Timmermans, on the 26th June
2020;
4. Between Eurofer and Nele Eichhorn, Cabinet member of Margrethe Vestager and Vice President
Margrethe Vestager, on the 15th June 2020;
Your application concerns the following documents:
Ares 2020 1148390 Letter from EUROFER - Meeting request with the CEOs of the EU Steel
industry - A Green Deal on Steel
Briefing Eurofer_Redacted final after Cab
10. Ares 2020 3607940 - EUROFER - 13 05 2020 - amendment proposal
10. Cover email Cab Vestager to Eurofer 18.12.2021
11. Ares 2020 3607940 - EUROFER - 13 05 2020 – email
11. Email 15.6.2021
12. Ares 2020 3607940 - EUROFER - 25 05 2020 – email
12. Email 9.9.2021
13. Ares 2020 3608028 - EUROFER - 07 07 2020 – annex
13.a. Cover email Eurofer 7.7.2021
13.b. Annex to email Eurofer 7.7.2021
13.c. Annex to email Eurofer 7.7.2021
14. Ares 2020 3608028 - EUROFER - 07 07 2020 – email
14. Cover email Eurofer to Cab Vestager 27.4.2020
15. Ares 2020 3608028 - EUROFER - 07 07 2020 - proposed amendments
15. Cover email Cab Vestager to B. Nienaltowski 23.4.2020
16. a. Cover email to Eurofer 3.3.2020
16. Ares 2020 3647876 EUROFER meeting 26052020 on ETS State Aid guidelines
16. b. Annex to email to Eurofer 3.3.2020
17. a. Letter from EUROFER - cover email
17. b. Letter from EUROFER - attachment – letter
17. Email from EEAS to DG Eurofer + Cab Vestager 8.5.2020
18. a. Letter from EUROFER - Meeting request with the CEOs of the EU Steel industry - cover
email
18. b. Letter from EUROFER - Meeting request with the CEOs of the EU Steel industry - attachment
– letter
18. c. Letter from EUROFER - Meeting request with the CEOs of the EU Steel industry - attachment
- discussion paper
Ares 2020 1148390 Letter from EUROFER - Meeting request with the CEOs of the EU Steel
industry- letter
20190913 EUROFER Discussion Paper_A Regulatory Framework for CO2-Lean Steel Produced in
Europe
20191018 Letter to Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans
20200505 - Minutes, Meeting with Eurofer_Redacted after Cab
20200615 Presentation Meeting Executive VP Vestager.pdf
20200625_Final EUROFER Amendments_Draft ETS Guidelines.docx
20210224 Samsom EU Industry Days local webinar - Green Deal and European steel .pdf
20210303 EUROFER & WV Stahl
21-01-26-EVP_Steel Industry.docx
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Ares 2020 1700597 Letter from EUROFER on the impact of COVID-19 on the steel industry and
proposed urgent measures – letter
Ares 2020 1736987 Reply to EUROFER
Ares 2020 1893426 Letter from EUROFER concerning the impact of Covid-19 on the European
Steel Industry – letter
Ares 2020 3607717 - EUROFER - 12 05 2020 - Draft ETS SA Guidelines
a. Cover email Cab Vestager to Dir Gen Eurofer 10.12.2019
Ares 2020 3607717 - EUROFER - 12 05 2020 - position on the ETS SA Guidelines – annex
7. b. Annex to email Cab Vestager to Dir Gen Eurofer 10.12.2019
Ares 2020 3607717 - EUROFER - 12 05 2020 - position on the ETS SA Guidelines - key messages
8.a. Email cover from Cab Vestager to Director General Eurofer 6.5.2021
8.b. Annex email from Cab Vestager to Director General Eurofer 6.5.2021
8.c. Annex email from Cab Vestager to Director General Eurofer 6.5.2021
a. Cover email from Dir Gen Eurofer to Cab Vestager
9. Ares 2020 3607717 - EUROFER - 12 05 2020 - position on the ETS SA Guidelines
Annex amendment industrial gases.docx
Email Cab Timmermans to Eurofer 31.7.2020
Email from Cab Timmerman to Eurofer 31 July 2020
Email from Cab Timmermans to Dir Gen Eurofer 1 February 2021
Email from Cab Timmermans to Dir Gen Eurofer 21 October 2020
Email from Cab Timmermans to Eurofer 28 July 2020
RE_ European steel industry s position on the draft ETS State Aid Guidelines.pdf
With regard to the certain documents
listed above, 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;
-
handwritten signatures/abbreviated signatures of natural persons;
-
other information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person .
In your application, you indicate that your address is in the United Kingdom. Transfers of personal data from
the Commission to countries that are not members of the European Economic Area (EEA), or to international
organisations are regulated under Chapter V of the Data Protection Regulation1.
According to Article 47(1) of this Regulation, a transfer of personal data to a third country or an international
organisation may take place where the Commission has decided that the third country, a territory or one or more
specified sectors within that country, or the international organisation in question ensures an adequate level of
protection and where the personal data are transferred solely to allow tasks within the competence of the
controller to be carried out.
1 Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural
persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the fre e
movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC, OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p.
39.
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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.
Please note that documents originating from third parties are disclosed to you based on Regulation (EC) No
1049/2001. However, this disclosure is without prejudice to the rules on intellectual property, which may
limit your right to reproduce or exploit the released documents without the agreement of the originator, who
may hold an intellectual property right on them. The European Commission does not assume any
responsibility from their reuse.
The following documents (21-01-26-EVP_Steel Industry; 16. Ares 2020 3647876 EUROFER meeting
26052020 on ETS State Aid guidelines; 20200505 - Minutes, Meeting with Eurofer_Redacted after Cab; 11.
Email 15.6.2021_Redacted) were drawn up for internal use under the responsibility of the relevant services
of the Commission. It solely reflects the services’ interpretation of the interventions made and does not set
out any official position of the third parties to which the document refers, which was not consulted on its
content. It does not reflect the position of the Commission and cannot be quoted as such.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 faithfully,
(e-signed)
Elisabeth WERNER
Director (acting)
Annex: disclosed documents
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Electronically signed on 06/07/2021 16:06 (UTC+02) in accordance with article 11 of Commission Decision C(2020) 4482