Access to Documents Request Concerning GLP-1 Medications
Dear Health and Food Safety,
Under the right of access to documents in the EU treaties, as developed in Regulation 1049/2001, I request access to documents related to lobbying activities concerning GLP-1 medications. Specifically, I seek information involving large processed food manufacturers, including but not limited to Nestlé, Unilever, Danone, and similar companies. As a journalist investigating corporate influence on health regulations, I request access to the following:
Correspondence:
Emails, letters, or other communications between representatives of processed food manufacturers or their lobby organizations (e.g., EUFIC) and DG SANTE officials. This includes discussions on:
Regulation or approval processes of GLP-1 medications.
Policy impacts on public health and food consumption.
Market positioning of GLP-1 medications (e.g., Wegovy, Ozempic). This request includes all medications acting on the GLP-1 receptor, including GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonists (e.g., Tirzepatide).
Meetings:
Minutes, notes, or summaries of meetings with processed food company representatives discussing:
Regulatory impacts of GLP-1 medications.
Strategic considerations regarding health policies or public health campaigns.
Documents:
Internal analyses or reports on lobbying efforts by processed food companies related to GLP-1 regulation. This includes evaluations of potential market or policy impacts.
Consultations:
Records of consultations or policy inputs from the processed food industry on GLP-1 regulations, health claims, or public health guidelines.
Timeframe: 2020 to the present.
This inquiry aims to assess the influence of processed food companies on DG SANTE’s regulatory and policy frameworks concerning GLP-1 medications.
If any part of the requested documentation is subject to exemptions under Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, please provide detailed reasons for any redactions or withholdings. I also request a list of all existing documents, including those withheld.
Thank you for your time and assistance. Please contact me if clarification or additional details are needed.
Yours faithfully,
Mathilde de Jeu
Dear Sir or Madam,
We are writing to you concerning your request for access to documents sent
on 27/11/2024 and registered on 27/11/2024 under case number 2024/6559.
Since you have not indicated your postal address, we are not able to start
handling your request. The 15 working days to reply to your request will
start running only when you send us your postal address.
You can send your postal address by replying to this e-mail. If we do not
receive your reply we may close this case.
Please note that you can submit a request for access to Commission
documents via the portal [1]'Request a Commission document', which does
not require you to indicate your postal address.
Why do we need your personal postal address?
Since 1 April 2014, the submission of a postal address became a mandatory
feature when submitting an application for access to Commission documents
via an e-mail. We would like to explain why we need your postal address in
order to register and handle your application for access to documents when
submitted via e-mail:
• Firstly, to obtain legal certainty as regards the date you received
the European Commission reply to your application for public access to
documents. Article 297 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the
European Union (TFEU) states that 'decisions which specify to whom
they are addressed, shall be notified to those to whom they are
addressed and shall take effect upon such notification.' In line with
this provision, if the Commission does not grant full access to the
requested documents, it notifies the reply to the applicant via
registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt or via delivery
service. This requires an indication of a valid postal address by the
applicant;
• Secondly, to apply correctly the [2]Data Protection Regulation (EU)
2018/1725. Knowing whether the applicant is an EU resident (or not) is
necessary for deciding which conditions shall apply for the
transmissions of personal data to applicants for access to documents.
These conditions are not the same for recipients established in the
Union and for recipients in third countries. As the vast majority of
the documents requested contain personal data, the Commission cannot
ensure the correct application of the data protection rules in the
absence of a postal address;
• Thirdly, to apply correctly [3]Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001. Article
4(1)(b) of that Regulation refers to the protection of the privacy and
integrity of the individual and has to be applied in line with the
Data Protection Regulation;
• Fourthly, to protect the interest of other citizens and safeguard the
principle of good administration. The Commission has to treat all
citizens equally by ensuring that the legal framework for public
access to documents is respected. For example, it has to verify
whether Article 6(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 is being evaded
by introducing several requests under different identities. Indeed, in
its Ryanair judgment ([4]EU:T:2010:511), the General Court confirmed
that Article 6(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 cannot be evaded by
splitting an application into several, seemingly separate, parts. In
addition, the Commission has to make sure that the legal framework is
respected and the right of access to documents is not abused by making
requests under an invented identity.
The considerations above show that the request for and the consequent
processing of the applicant's postal address is not only appropriate, but
also strictly necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the
public interest within the meaning of Article 5(1)(a) of Data Protection
Regulation, namely providing a smooth and effective access to documents.
Yours faithfully,
Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety - Access to Documents
European Commission
References
Visible links
1. https://www.ec.europa.eu/transparency/do...
2. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
3. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
4. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Health and Food Safety,
My postal address is:
Mathilde de Jeu/The Investigative Desk
A-Lab, Overhoeksplein 2, 1031 KS Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Yours faithfully,
Mathilde de Jeu
Dear Sir or Madam,
We hereby acknowledge the receipt of your request for access to documents
sent on 27/11/2024 and registered on 28/11/2024 under the case number
2024/6559.
We will handle your request within 15 working days as of the date of
registration. The time-limit expires on 19/12/2024. We will let you know
if we need to extend this time limit for additional 15 working days.
To find more information on how we process your personal data, please see
[1]the privacy statement.
Yours faithfully,
Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety - Access to Documents
European Commission
References
Visible links
1. https://ec.europa.eu/info/principles-and...
Dear Health and Food Safety,
Please pass this on to the person who reviews confirmatory applications.
I am filing the following confirmatory application with regards to my access to documents request 'Access to Documents Request Concerning GLP-1 Medications', submitted on 27 November 2024, which you confirmed receipt of. As the statutory deadline for a response was 19 December, and I have not yet received any communication, I kindly request an internal review of the handling of my request.
According to Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding public access to documents, a timely response is required. The lack of response constitutes a breach of this regulation, and I would appreciate it if you could address this matter promptly.
I look forward to your decision or the requested documents as soon as possible. Please confirm receipt of this confirmatory application.
A full history of my request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.asktheeu.org/en/request/acce...
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Yours faithfully,
Mathilde de Jeu
Dear Ms De Jeu,
We are writing concerning your request for access to Commission documents
registered on 28.11.2024 under case number 2024/6559.
We are currently working on your request. However, we have not yet been
able to gather all the elements necessary to carry out a full analysis of
your request. We will not be able to send you the reply within the
prescribed time limit expiring today 19.12.2024.
The application concerns documents held by different Services, which must
be consulted.
Therefore, in line with Article 7(3) of [1]Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001,
we need to extend this time limit by 15 additional working days. The new
time limit expires on 22.01.2024.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Kind regards,
SANTE ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
References
Visible links
1. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Ms De Jeu,
Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2024/6559.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this message by return email.
Kind regards,
SANTE ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
Dear Ms De Jeu,
We acknowledge that the time limit to reply to your access to documents
request 2024/6559 expires today 22 January 2025, and apologise in advance
for the delay.
We would like to inform you that your request has been handled and a reply
prepared. This is currently under review, and it will be sent to you as
soon as it is signed at the appropriate level.
Please be reassured that we are doing our utmost to send you our reply as
soon as possible.
Thank you very much for your understanding.
Kind regards,
SANTE ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
Dear SANTE Access to Document team,
Thank you for your response and for keeping me informed. I would appreciate it if you could send the documents at your earliest convenience.
I look forward to receiving them soon.
Kind regards,
Mathilde de Jeu
Dear Ms de Jeu,
Thank you very much for your email and we are sorry to hear that you have not received our response to your applicant sent on 24 January.
Please find a copy attached. May we kindly ask you to confirm receipt of the reply 2024/6559 by return of email.
We thank you very much in advance and apologies again for the inconvenience.
With kind regards,
SANTE ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS