Ref. Ares(2021)5646479 - 15/09/2021
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL JUSTICE AND CONSUMERS
Director-General (Acting)
Brussels,
JUST.01.002(2021)6378350
Ms Esther BIJL
By e-mail:
ask+request-9801-
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
Subject:
Your application for access to documents – Ref GestDem No 2021/5057
Dear Ms BIJL,
We refer to your e-mail of 24 July 2021 in which you make a request for access to
documents, registered on 27 July 2021 under the above mentioned reference number.
You request access to:
“- A list of all meetings of DG FISMA officials with United Arab Emirates
representatives, including with UAE government officials (or their representatives), with
employees of the UAE Embassy to the EU (incl. the Ambassador, incl. their
representatives), as well as with employees and/or consultants working for lobby and/or
consultancy and/or PR firms where the UAE is a client, that took place between 15 July
2019 and 15 July 2021;
-
Agendas, minutes, reports and other documentation of these meetings;
-
All correspondence that took place between 15 July 2019 and 15 July 2021 between
DG JUST officials and UAE representatives, including UAE government officials (or
their representatives), employees of the UAE Embassy to the EU (incl. the Ambassador,
incl. their representatives), as well as employees and/or consultants working for lobby
and/or consultancy and/or PR firms where the UAE is a client. This could include but is
not limited to, e-mails, text messages, basis documents, memos or drafts.”
Please note that due to the wide scope of your request, covering also areas falling under the
responsibility of other services, parts of your request have been attributed to Directorate-
General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG
FISMA) 1. This reply relates only to the documents held by Directorate-General for Justice
and Consumers.
We regret to inform you that the Commission does not hold any documents that would
correspond to the description given in your application.
1
GESTDEM 2021/4726.
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË
As specified in Article 2(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, the right of access as
defined in that regulation applies only to existing documents in the possession of the
institution.
Given that no such documents, corresponding to the description given in your
application, are held by the Commission, the Commission is not in a position to fulfil
your request.
In accordance with Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 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 Secretariat-General of the Commission at the following address:
European Commission
Secretariat-General
Transparency, Document Management & Access to Documents (SG.C.1)
BERL 7/076
B-1049 Bruxelles
or by email to:
xxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
According to standard operational procedure, the reply to a request for access to documents
is usually sent by registered post. Please note, however, that due to the extraordinary health
and security measures currently in force during the COVID-19 pandemic, which include the
requirement for all Commission non-critical staff to telework, we are unfortunately not in a
position to follow this procedure until further notice.
We would therefore appreciate if you could confirm receipt of the present e-mail by
replying to
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx. Yours faithfully,
(e-signed)
Salla SAASTAMOINEN
2
Electronically signed on 14/09/2021 16:53 (UTC+02) in accordance with article 11 of Commission Decision C(2020) 4482