Biodiesels & certification procedures under RED
Dear Secretariat General of the European Commission,
Under the right of access to documents in the EU treaties, as developed in Regulation 1049/2001 and the Aarhus Directive 2003/4/EC, I am requesting documents, e-mails, letters, memos (including all attachments), reports, evaluations, briefings and analysis of any kind which contain the following information:
- All internal documents, assessments, audit reports, or evaluations held by the European Commission (DG ENER, DG CLIMA, or relevant units) concerning the performance, reliability, or procedural shortcomings of the ISCC certification scheme, particularly in relation to biodiesel imports from South-East Asia, including, but not limited to, Malaysia and Indonesia, from 2022 onwards.
- All correspondence (emails, letters, briefings, meeting notes) exchanged between the European Commission and the German government regarding concerns about fraudulent biodiesel imports and ISCC certification practices since January 2023.
- Minutes, agendas, background notes, and briefing papers related to the EU Biofuels Committee meetings in 2023–2025 that discussed ISCC, RED Annex IX feedstocks, or sustainability verification concerns in relation to biofuels imports
- Any internal impact assessments or policy papers evaluating the consequences of suspending or restricting the recognition of ISCC as a voluntary scheme under the RED framework
- Industry, and any legal or natural entity representing their interests, feedback regarding the EU Union Database (UDB) rollout for advanced biofuels and sustainability traceability.
- Any investigative reports, infringement proceedings, or compliance audits regarding non-EU biofuels producers (e.g. in Indonesia, Malaysia, China) related to claims of fraud, over-certification, or inconsistencies between declared feedstocks (e.g. POME) and actual production data.
Résidence Palace, International Press Centre
Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 155
1040 Brussels
Belgium
I would prefer to receive the information to my email.
Yours faithfully,
Elena Sánchez
Dear Sir or Madam,
We hereby acknowledge the receipt of your request for access to documents
sent on 19/05/2025 and registered on 19/05/2025 under the case number
2025/2744.
We will handle your request within 15 working days as of the date of
registration. The time-limit expires on 11/06/2025. 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,
Secretariat-General - Access to Documents
European Commission
References
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Hello,
We are writing concerning your request for access to Commission documents
registered on 19/05/2025 under case number 2025/2745.
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 on 11/06/2025.
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 02/07/2025.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Kind regards,
DG CLIMA Access to Document Team
References
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Dear Ms Sanchez,
We are writing concerning your request for access to Commission documents
registered on 19/05/2025 under case number 2025/2744.
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 on 11/06/2025.
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 02/07/2025.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Kind regards,
DG ENER Access to Documents Team
References
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Dear applicant,
We are writing concerning your request for access to Commission documents
registered on 19/05/2025 under case number 2025/2746.
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 on 11/06/2025.
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 02/07/2025.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Kind regards,
SG D Secretariat
References
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Hello,
Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2025/2745.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this message by return email.
Kind regards,
DG CLIMA Access to Document Team
Dear Secretariat General of the European Commission,
I have received confirmation that the Directorate-General for Climate does not hold any of the requested documents. However, I am still awaiting responses from the Directorate-General for Energy and the EU Biofuels Committee, which I believe are likely to hold the relevant information.
Please pass this on to the person who reviews confirmatory applications.
I am filing the following confirmatory application with regard to my access to documents request 'Biodiesels & certification procedures under RED'.
A full history of my request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.asktheeu.org/request/biodies...
Yours faithfully,
Elena Sánchez
Dear Sir or Madam,
We hereby acknowledge the receipt of your confirmatory request for case
2025/2744, sent on 31/07/2025 and registered on 31/07/2025.
We will handle your confirmatory request within 15 working days as of the
date of registration. The time-limit expires on 22/08/2025. We will let
you know if we need to extend this time limit for additional 15 working
days.
Yours faithfully,
Secretariat-General - Access to Documents
European Commission
Hello,
We are writing concerning your confirmatory request for access to
Commission documents for case [1]2025/2744, registered on 31/07/2025.
As you did not receive a reply to your initial request registered on
19/05/2025, you submitted a confirmatory request.
In the meantime, the initial reply in question was sent to you on
17/07/2025.
Against this background, the Secretariat-General has closed your
confirmatory request.
You can submit a new_rec confirmatory request for this case in accordance
with Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 if you wish to ask for a
review of the initial reply.
Kind regards,
References
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Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2025/2744.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this message by return email.
Dear Secretariat General of the European Commission,
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 'Biodiesels & certification procedures under RED'.
Pursuant to Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, I hereby submit a confirmatory application requesting the review of the Commission’s decision to refuse full access to certain documents concerning the performance of the ISCC voluntary certification scheme, particularly in the context of biodiesel imports from Southeast Asia and suspected fraud involving feedstocks such as POME and UCO.
In your response, you cited Article 4(2), first indent of the Regulation, claiming that disclosure of audit reports and integrity assessments would undermine the commercial interests of the entities concerned, and risk damaging cooperation in future RED-related investigations.
I respectfully submit that this refusal does not withstand scrutiny, for the following legal and public interest reasons:
1. Overriding Public Interest in Environmental and Climate Transparency
Article 4(2) of Regulation 1049/2001 provides that access to documents may be refused to protect commercial interests unless there is an overriding public interest in disclosure.
Such an overriding interest clearly exists in this case.
The documents concern allegations of fraudulent certification of biofuels claimed to be sustainable under the Renewable Energy Directive.
If fraudulent or misdeclared feedstocks (e.g. palm oil passed off as waste like POME) are entering the EU market, this would undermine the credibility of EU climate policy, damage the environment, and violate the public trust in the certification system.
The public, media, and legislators have a legitimate and compelling interest in knowing:
Whether voluntary schemes like ISCC are adequately enforcing sustainability criteria;
Whether systemic weaknesses exist in the EU’s biofuel verification framework;
Whether public subsidies or compliance credits are being granted based on false claims.
2. Precedent: Environmental Information Requires Broad Disclosure
Under Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 (Aarhus Regulation) and the Aarhus Convention, environmental information — including data on emissions, sustainability, and environmental fraud — is subject to enhanced transparency standards.
Article 6(1) of the Aarhus Regulation requires EU institutions to apply a restrictive interpretation of exceptions under Article 4 of Regulation 1049/2001 when the information requested relates to emissions or environmental protection.
Audit findings related to biofuels’ sustainability and GHG savings fall squarely within the definition of environmental information and cannot be shielded by overly broad commercial confidentiality claims.
3. Relevant case law supports this:
ClientEarth v Commission (C-57/16 P): The ECJ confirmed that internal evaluations of environmental policies must be disclosed when there is overriding public interest.
It is my understanding that Germany did submit a substantiated concern regarding potential systemic failures in the ISCC scheme, including possible fraud in biodiesel imports from third countries. The Commission has initiated an Article 30(10) RED examination, and these documents directly relate to that process. Transparency is essential for public accountability, particularly when certification schemes serve as the gatekeepers for access to EU markets and subsidies.
4. Request for Partial Access (If full access is refused)
Should the Commission decide not to grant full access, I request at the very least:
Partial access to non-commercially sensitive sections of the documents (e.g., findings, summaries, or general conclusions),
Or redacted versions that preserve the confidentiality of specific business data while still allowing the public to understand the systemic issues under examination.
The principle of proportionality under Regulation 1049/2001 requires such a balancing approach, and blanket refusals are not justified unless every part of the document is covered by an exception, which does not appear to be the case here.
I respectfully request that the Commission review its initial refusal and grant (full or partial) access to the documents listed, particularly:
- Ares(2023)5391841 (Letter to ISCC – 3 August 2023)
- Ares(2023)7426109 (Follow-up on suspected fraud case – 31 October 2023)
A full history of my request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.asktheeu.org/request/biodies...
Yours faithfully,
Elena Sánchez
Your message has been received by the Transparency Unit of the
Secretariat-General of the European Commission.
Requests for public access to documents are treated on the basis of
[1]Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to
European Parliament, Council and Commission documents.
The Secretariat-General will reply to your request within 15 working days
upon registration of your request and will duly inform you of the
registration of the request (or of any additional information to be
provided in view of its registration and/or treatment).
L’unité «Transparence» du secrétariat général de la Commission européenne
a bien reçu votre message.
Les demandes d’accès du public aux documents sont traitées sur la base du
[2]règlement (CE) n° 1049/2001 du 30 mai 2001 relatif à l’accès du public
aux documents du Parlement européen, du Conseil et de la Commission.
Le secrétariat général répondra à votre demande dans un délai de 15 jours
ouvrables à compter de la date d’enregistrement de votre demande, et vous
informera de cet enregistrement (ou vous indiquera toute information
supplémentaire à fournir en vue de l'enregistrement et/ou du traitement de
votre demande).
Ihre Nachricht ist beim Referat „Transparenz“ des Generalsekretariats der
Europäischen Kommission eingegangen.
Anträge auf Zugang zu Dokumenten werden auf der Grundlage der
[3]Verordnung (EG) Nr. 1049/2001 vom 30. Mai 2001 über den Zugang der
Öffentlichkeit zu Dokumenten des Europäischen Parlaments, des Rates und
der Kommission behandelt.
Das Generalsekretariat beantwortet Ihre Anfrage innerhalb von
15 Arbeitstagen nach deren Registrierung und wird Sie über die
Registrierung Ihres Antrags (oder die Notwendigkeit weiterer Informationen
im Hinblick auf dessen Registrierung und/oder Bearbeitung) unterrichten.
References
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3. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Sir or Madam,
We hereby acknowledge the receipt of your confirmatory request for case
2025/2744, sent on 25/09/2025 and registered on 26/09/2025.
We will handle your confirmatory request within 15 working days as of the
date of registration. The time-limit expires on 17/10/2025. We will let
you know if we need to extend this time limit for additional 15 working
days.
Yours faithfully,
Secretariat-General - Access to Documents
European Commission
Dear applicant,
We are writing concerning your confirmatory request for access to
Commission documents for case 2025/2744 registered on 26 September 2025.
We are currently working on your confirmatory 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 on 17 October 2025, due to ongoing
internal consultations.
Therefore, in line with Article 8(2) 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 7 November 2025.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Kind regards,
Secretariat-General - Access to Documents
European Commission
References
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1. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Secretariat-General,
I would like to know the outcome of my request for an internal review, since the deadline expired last Friday.
Best
Elena Sánchez
Your message has been received by the Transparency Unit of the
Secretariat-General of the European Commission.
Requests for public access to documents are treated on the basis of
[1]Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to
European Parliament, Council and Commission documents.
The Secretariat-General will reply to your request within 15 working days
upon registration of your request and will duly inform you of the
registration of the request (or of any additional information to be
provided in view of its registration and/or treatment).
L’unité «Transparence» du secrétariat général de la Commission européenne
a bien reçu votre message.
Les demandes d’accès du public aux documents sont traitées sur la base du
[2]règlement (CE) n° 1049/2001 du 30 mai 2001 relatif à l’accès du public
aux documents du Parlement européen, du Conseil et de la Commission.
Le secrétariat général répondra à votre demande dans un délai de 15 jours
ouvrables à compter de la date d’enregistrement de votre demande, et vous
informera de cet enregistrement (ou vous indiquera toute information
supplémentaire à fournir en vue de l'enregistrement et/ou du traitement de
votre demande).
Ihre Nachricht ist beim Referat „Transparenz“ des Generalsekretariats der
Europäischen Kommission eingegangen.
Anträge auf Zugang zu Dokumenten werden auf der Grundlage der
[3]Verordnung (EG) Nr. 1049/2001 vom 30. Mai 2001 über den Zugang der
Öffentlichkeit zu Dokumenten des Europäischen Parlaments, des Rates und
der Kommission behandelt.
Das Generalsekretariat beantwortet Ihre Anfrage innerhalb von
15 Arbeitstagen nach deren Registrierung und wird Sie über die
Registrierung Ihres Antrags (oder die Notwendigkeit weiterer Informationen
im Hinblick auf dessen Registrierung und/oder Bearbeitung) unterrichten.
References
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2. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
3. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
[1]RE: solicitud acceso a documentos - Biodiesels & certification
procedures under RED - Ares(2025)9701975 (Please use this link only if
you are an Ares user – Svp, utilisez ce lien exclusivement si vous êtes
un(e) utilisateur d’Ares)
Dear Ms Sánchez,
Thank you for your e-mail.
We sincerely apologize for the failure to reply within the statutory time
limit.
We would like to confirm that the internal consultations in relation to
your application are fully ongoing. Therefore, we cannot commit to a
specific timeframe within when the reply will be adopted.
However, we would like to assure you that we are doing our utmost to
provide you with a reply as soon as possible.
Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience this delay may cause to
you and thank you for your understanding.
Kind regards,
European Commission
Access to Documents Team
Dear Secretariat-General,
I would like to know the outcome of my request for an internal review, since the deadline expired on 7 November.
Best
Elena Sánchez
[1]RE: solicitud acceso a documentos - Biodiesels & certification
procedures under RED - Ares(2025)9701975 - Ares(2025)10761947 (Please use
this link only if you are an Ares user – Svp, utilisez ce lien
exclusivement si vous êtes un(e) utilisateur d’Ares)
Dear Ms Sánchez,
Thank you for your e-mail.
We sincerely apologize but internal consultations regarding your
applicant are still ongoing.
However, we would like to assure you that we are doing our utmost to
provide you with a reply as soon as possible.
Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience this delay may cause to
you and thank you for your understanding.
Kind regards,
European Commission
Access to Documents Team
Dear Secretariat-General,
I would like to know the status of my request for an internal review, since the deadline expired on 7 November.
Best
Elena Sánchez
Link: [1]File-List
Link: [2]themeData
Link: [3]colorSchemeMapping
[4]FW: Revisión interna de solicitud acceso a documentos - Biodiesels &
certification procedures under RED - Ares(2026)53398 (Please use this
link only if you are an Ares user – Svp, utilisez ce lien exclusivement si
vous êtes un(e) utilisateur d’Ares)
Dear Ms Sánchez,
Thank you for your email.
We sincerely apologize for our failure to reply within the statutory
deadline but internal consultations regarding your application are still
ongoing.
Please note that the Commission was closed from 24 December to 4 January.
However, we would like to assure you that we are doing our utmost to
provide you with a reply as soon as possible.
Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience this delay may cause to
you and thank you for your understanding.
Kind regards,
Access to documents team - SG.A.2
Hello,
Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2025/2744.
Kind regards,
Access to documents team - SG.A.2
Dear Secretariat-General of the European Commission,
I refer to my request for access to documents submitted pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 concerning biodiesel certification procedures under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), and to your invitation to clarify the scope of my request in the context of the ongoing internal review.
In order to facilitate the handling of my application, I hereby clarify and narrow the scope of my request and set out the specific interest pursued.
1. Clarification and narrowing of the request
I am seeking access to the following specific and identifiable documents held by the European Commission, in particular by DG ENER:
- Email from ISCC concerning follow-up to its communication on the suspected fraud case involving biofuels imported from China to the EU
- Email from ISCC to DG ENER of 19 July 2023
- Letter from ISCC to DG ENER of 18 July 2023
- Email from ISCC to DG ENER of 5 May 2023
- Email from ISCC to DG ENER of 21 June 2023
- Email from ISCC to DG ENER of 4 July 2023
- Letter from DG ENER’s Director-General to ISCC of 10 July 2023
- Letter from DG ENER to ISCC on the status and key issues of implementation of the Union Database (UDB Final) of 19 June 2023
- Note from DG ENER’s Director C to the Director-General of DG ENER of 11 April 2024
- Letter from DG ENER’s Director-General to ISCC on the outcome of the Commission’s assessment of alleged fraud cases involving biofuel imports originating from China of 12 April 2024
- Time plan drawn up in the context of the Commission’s request for information concerning biodiesel originating from economic operators in China certified by ISCC
- If possible, access to at least one audit report drawn up under the ISCC voluntary certification scheme, including its annexes (for example, “Audit report – Company H” and annexes)
This clarification replaces any broader interpretation of my original request and is intended to focus on a clearly defined and limited set of documents. Priority is given to correspondence and internal documents exchanged between DG ENER and ISCC. The request for audit reports is limited to a single example.
2. Reasons for requesting access to ISCC–DG ENER correspondence and internal Commission documents
The correspondence between ISCC and DG ENER, as well as the internal documents drafted by DG ENER listed above, is of particular relevance as it reflects direct exchanges between a major voluntary certification scheme and the Commission during a period in which audit-related and compliance concerns were being examined.
Access to these documents is necessary to understand how DG ENER was informed of potential irregularities, how it assessed information provided by ISCC, and how the Commission responded at administrative level to alleged fraud cases. Disclosure is also required in order to enable me to fulfil my journalistic duty to inform the public about the Commission’s handling of these matters.
In addition, these documents are essential for understanding the origin, nature, and scope of the “systematic weaknesses” identified by the Commission itself in its press release of July 2025 following an internal investigation into potential fraud involving Chinese biofuel imports. Without access to the underlying correspondence and internal assessments, the public cannot meaningfully assess or contextualise the Commission’s conclusions.
3. Reasons for requesting access to at least one audit report and annexes
Audit reports and their annexes constitute the core evidentiary basis for assessing compliance with sustainability criteria under the Renewable Energy Directive. They contain factual findings, methodologies applied, identified non-conformities, corrective actions, and supporting evidence upon which certification decisions are based.
Access to at least one such report is necessary in order to understand how the Commission identified the systemic weaknesses referred to in its July 2025 press release, whether these weaknesses were recurring or structural, and which elements of the certification process they concerned. Without access to at least one audit report and its annexes, it is not possible to evaluate how those weaknesses were detected or how they relate to concrete audit findings.
Given the significant role played by biodiesel certification in market access, public funding, and the implementation of EU climate and energy policy, there is a clear and overriding public interest in disclosure within the meaning of Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001.
Should any parts of the requested documents be considered sensitive, I expressly request that the Commission assess the possibility of partial access in accordance with Article 4(6) of the Regulation.
In light of the above, I respectfully request that the Commission proceed with the internal review on the basis of this clarified and narrowed request. Should access be refused in whole or in part, I request that the decision identify, for each document or redaction, the specific exception relied upon and explain how disclosure would specifically and actually undermine the protected interest, as required by the case-law of the Court of Justice.
I would prefer to receive the documents by email.
Yours faithfully,
Elena Sánchez
EUobserver
Résidence Palace, International Press Centre
Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 155
1040 Brussels
Belgium
Your message has been received by the Transparency Unit of the
Secretariat-General of the European Commission.
Requests for public access to documents are treated on the basis of
[1]Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to
European Parliament, Council and Commission documents.
The Secretariat-General will reply to your request within 15 working days
upon registration of your request and will duly inform you of the
registration of the request (or of any additional information to be
provided in view of its registration and/or treatment).
L’unité «Transparence» du secrétariat général de la Commission européenne
a bien reçu votre message.
Les demandes d’accès du public aux documents sont traitées sur la base du
[2]règlement (CE) n° 1049/2001 du 30 mai 2001 relatif à l’accès du public
aux documents du Parlement européen, du Conseil et de la Commission.
Le secrétariat général répondra à votre demande dans un délai de 15 jours
ouvrables à compter de la date d’enregistrement de votre demande, et vous
informera de cet enregistrement (ou vous indiquera toute information
supplémentaire à fournir en vue de l'enregistrement et/ou du traitement de
votre demande).
Ihre Nachricht ist beim Referat „Transparenz“ des Generalsekretariats der
Europäischen Kommission eingegangen.
Anträge auf Zugang zu Dokumenten werden auf der Grundlage der
[3]Verordnung (EG) Nr. 1049/2001 vom 30. Mai 2001 über den Zugang der
Öffentlichkeit zu Dokumenten des Europäischen Parlaments, des Rates und
der Kommission behandelt.
Das Generalsekretariat beantwortet Ihre Anfrage innerhalb von
15 Arbeitstagen nach deren Registrierung und wird Sie über die
Registrierung Ihres Antrags (oder die Notwendigkeit weiterer Informationen
im Hinblick auf dessen Registrierung und/oder Bearbeitung) unterrichten.
References
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2. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
3. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Secretariat General of the European Commission,
My appeal from 10 February is still awaiting an answer. I would kindly ask whether you could confirm receipt of my appeal and indicate the current status of its examination, as well as an approximate timeframe for your response.
Yours faithfully,
Elena Sánchez
Your message has been received by the Transparency Unit of the
Secretariat-General of the European Commission.
Requests for public access to documents are treated on the basis of
[1]Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to
European Parliament, Council and Commission documents.
The Secretariat-General will reply to your request within 15 working days
upon registration of your request and will duly inform you of the
registration of the request (or of any additional information to be
provided in view of its registration and/or treatment).
L’unité «Transparence» du secrétariat général de la Commission européenne
a bien reçu votre message.
Les demandes d’accès du public aux documents sont traitées sur la base du
[2]règlement (CE) n° 1049/2001 du 30 mai 2001 relatif à l’accès du public
aux documents du Parlement européen, du Conseil et de la Commission.
Le secrétariat général répondra à votre demande dans un délai de 15 jours
ouvrables à compter de la date d’enregistrement de votre demande, et vous
informera de cet enregistrement (ou vous indiquera toute information
supplémentaire à fournir en vue de l'enregistrement et/ou du traitement de
votre demande).
Ihre Nachricht ist beim Referat „Transparenz“ des Generalsekretariats der
Europäischen Kommission eingegangen.
Anträge auf Zugang zu Dokumenten werden auf der Grundlage der
[3]Verordnung (EG) Nr. 1049/2001 vom 30. Mai 2001 über den Zugang der
Öffentlichkeit zu Dokumenten des Europäischen Parlaments, des Rates und
der Kommission behandelt.
Das Generalsekretariat beantwortet Ihre Anfrage innerhalb von
15 Arbeitstagen nach deren Registrierung und wird Sie über die
Registrierung Ihres Antrags (oder die Notwendigkeit weiterer Informationen
im Hinblick auf dessen Registrierung und/oder Bearbeitung) unterrichten.
References
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2. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
3. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Madam,
Thank you for your message.
Could you please forward us your initial message dated 10 February and inform us about the registration EASE reference of the case?
Many thanks,
Access to documents team
SG.A.2
Transparency
See above!!!
Dear Secretariat-General of the European Commission,
I refer to my request for access to documents submitted pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 concerning biodiesel certification procedures under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), and to your invitation to clarify the scope of my request in the context of the ongoing internal review.
In order to facilitate the handling of my application, I hereby clarify and narrow the scope of my request and set out the specific interest pursued.
1. Clarification and narrowing of the request
I am seeking access to the following specific and identifiable documents held by the European Commission, in particular by DG ENER:
- Email from ISCC concerning follow-up to its communication on the suspected fraud case involving biofuels imported from China to the EU
- Email from ISCC to DG ENER of 19 July 2023
- Letter from ISCC to DG ENER of 18 July 2023
- Email from ISCC to DG ENER of 5 May 2023
- Email from ISCC to DG ENER of 21 June 2023
- Email from ISCC to DG ENER of 4 July 2023
- Letter from DG ENER’s Director-General to ISCC of 10 July 2023
- Letter from DG ENER to ISCC on the status and key issues of implementation of the Union Database (UDB Final) of 19 June 2023
- Note from DG ENER’s Director C to the Director-General of DG ENER of 11 April 2024
- Letter from DG ENER’s Director-General to ISCC on the outcome of the Commission’s assessment of alleged fraud cases involving biofuel imports originating from China of 12 April 2024
- Time plan drawn up in the context of the Commission’s request for information concerning biodiesel originating from economic operators in China certified by ISCC
- If possible, access to at least one audit report drawn up under the ISCC voluntary certification scheme, including its annexes (for example, “Audit report – Company H” and annexes)
This clarification replaces any broader interpretation of my original request and is intended to focus on a clearly defined and limited set of documents. Priority is given to correspondence and internal documents exchanged between DG ENER and ISCC. The request for audit reports is limited to a single example.
2. Reasons for requesting access to ISCC–DG ENER correspondence and internal Commission documents
The correspondence between ISCC and DG ENER, as well as the internal documents drafted by DG ENER listed above, is of particular relevance as it reflects direct exchanges between a major voluntary certification scheme and the Commission during a period in which audit-related and compliance concerns were being examined.
Access to these documents is necessary to understand how DG ENER was informed of potential irregularities, how it assessed information provided by ISCC, and how the Commission responded at administrative level to alleged fraud cases. Disclosure is also required in order to enable me to fulfil my journalistic duty to inform the public about the Commission’s handling of these matters.
In addition, these documents are essential for understanding the origin, nature, and scope of the “systematic weaknesses” identified by the Commission itself in its press release of July 2025 following an internal investigation into potential fraud involving Chinese biofuel imports. Without access to the underlying correspondence and internal assessments, the public cannot meaningfully assess or contextualise the Commission’s conclusions.
3. Reasons for requesting access to at least one audit report and annexes
Audit reports and their annexes constitute the core evidentiary basis for assessing compliance with sustainability criteria under the Renewable Energy Directive. They contain factual findings, methodologies applied, identified non-conformities, corrective actions, and supporting evidence upon which certification decisions are based.
Access to at least one such report is necessary in order to understand how the Commission identified the systemic weaknesses referred to in its July 2025 press release, whether these weaknesses were recurring or structural, and which elements of the certification process they concerned. Without access to at least one audit report and its annexes, it is not possible to evaluate how those weaknesses were detected or how they relate to concrete audit findings.
Given the significant role played by biodiesel certification in market access, public funding, and the implementation of EU climate and energy policy, there is a clear and overriding public interest in disclosure within the meaning of Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001.
Should any parts of the requested documents be considered sensitive, I expressly request that the Commission assess the possibility of partial access in accordance with Article 4(6) of the Regulation.
In light of the above, I respectfully request that the Commission proceed with the internal review on the basis of this clarified and narrowed request. Should access be refused in whole or in part, I request that the decision identify, for each document or redaction, the specific exception relied upon and explain how disclosure would specifically and actually undermine the protected interest, as required by the case-law of the Court of Justice.
I would prefer to receive the documents by email.
Yours faithfully,
Elena Sánchez
EUobserver
Résidence Palace, International Press Centre
Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 155
1040 Brussels
Belgium
Your message has been received by the Transparency Unit of the
Secretariat-General of the European Commission.
Requests for public access to documents are treated on the basis of
[1]Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to
European Parliament, Council and Commission documents.
The Secretariat-General will reply to your request within 15 working days
upon registration of your request and will duly inform you of the
registration of the request (or of any additional information to be
provided in view of its registration and/or treatment).
L’unité «Transparence» du secrétariat général de la Commission européenne
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Les demandes d’accès du public aux documents sont traitées sur la base du
[2]règlement (CE) n° 1049/2001 du 30 mai 2001 relatif à l’accès du public
aux documents du Parlement européen, du Conseil et de la Commission.
Le secrétariat général répondra à votre demande dans un délai de 15 jours
ouvrables à compter de la date d’enregistrement de votre demande, et vous
informera de cet enregistrement (ou vous indiquera toute information
supplémentaire à fournir en vue de l'enregistrement et/ou du traitement de
votre demande).
Ihre Nachricht ist beim Referat „Transparenz“ des Generalsekretariats der
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Anträge auf Zugang zu Dokumenten werden auf der Grundlage der
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der Kommission behandelt.
Das Generalsekretariat beantwortet Ihre Anfrage innerhalb von
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References
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[1]FW: Internal review of access to documents request - Biodiesels &
certification procedures under RED - Ares(2026)2638203 (Please use this
link only if you are an Ares user – Svp, utilisez ce lien exclusivement si
vous êtes un(e) utilisateur d’Ares)
Dear Ms Sánchez,
Thank you for your email.
We sincerely apologize for our failure to reply within the statutory
deadline but we would like to inform you that we are finalizing the reply
to your application.
However, given the number and size of the doucments, we are experiencing
some minor technical issues which we are trying to resolve in order to
proceed with the final validation of your reply.
Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience this delay may cause to
you and thank you for your understanding.
Yours sincerely,
Access to documents team
SG.A.2
Transparency