Ref. Ares(2022)4935089 - 06/07/2022
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
SECRETARIAT-GENERAL
Directorate D - Twin Transition, Economic & Social Affairs
Brussels
SG.D.1/AW
Nienke Palstra,
Global Witness,
Rue Belliard 53,
1000 Bruxelles,
Belgique
ask+request-11314-
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
Dear Madam,
Subject:
Your application for access to documents – GESTDEM 2022/3013
We refer to your application for access to documents, which was registered on
25/05/2022 under the above-mentioned reference number.
You request 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 2022-03-30 between Ursula von der Leyen and Google.’
Your application concerns the following documents:
1. Ares(2002)1515298 Meeting request Google with President von der Leyen
_Redacted
2. Ares(2022)2605155 email_Redacted
3. Ares(2022)2605155 Thank you letter from Google for the meeting in
Brussels_Redacted
4. Ares(2022)3938580 Short notes of meeting with President vdL and Google on 30
March 2022_Redacted.
A complete disclosure of these 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.
Article 9(1)(b) of the Data Protection Regulation (Regulation 2018/1725) 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
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111
no reason to assume that the legitimate interests of the data subject might be prejudiced.
In your request, you neither express any particular interest to have access to these personal
data, nor 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.
Please note that document 3, originating from a third party, is 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
document without the agreement of the originator, who may hold an intellectual property
right on it. The European Commission does not assume any responsibility from its reuse.
Please also note that the note of meeting in document 4 was drawn up for internal use
under the responsibility of the relevant services of the European Commission. It solely
reflects the author's interpretation of the interventions made and does not set out any
official position of the third parties to which the document refers, which were 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 t
o: xxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
Yours faithfully,
Click or tap here to enter text.
Elisa Roller
Director
Enclosure:
disclosed documents
2
Electronically signed on 06/07/2022 10:57 (UTC+02) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121
