Ref. Ares(2023)4444338 - 27/06/2023
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL
CLIMATE ACTION
The Director-General
Brussels
CLIMA
Elaine Girvan
c/o Changing Markets
Newtonlaan 115
3584 BH Utrecht
The Netherlands
Advance copy by email:
ask+request-
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
Subject:
Your application for access to documents EASE 2023/2531
Dear Ms Girvan,
We refer to your request for access to European Commission documents registered on 2
May 2023 under the above-mentioned reference number.
In your application, you requested access to:
“Correspondence, and minutes/notes of meetings between Executive Vice-President Frans
Timmermans and/or his cabinet, with the US Secretary of Agriculture, the US Department
of Agriculture (USDA), or the US Dairy Export Council (USDEC), on the subject of the
Global Methane Pledge, methane emissions, livestock emissions, agricultural emissions,
livestock, cattle, dairy, beef or meat, in 2022.”
Having examined your request for documents under the provisions of Regulation (EC) No
1049/2011 regarding public access to documents, I regret to inform you that the Cabinet
of EVP Frans Timmermans does not hold any documents that would correspond to the
description given in your application, since no meetings have taken place with the US
Secretary of Agriculture, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), or the US Dairy
Export Council (USDEC) in 2022. 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.
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË – Tel. +32 22991111
Office: BRE2 13/533 – Tel. direct line +32 229-69207
xxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
Please note that the list of meetings of the Executive Vice-President Timmermans, his
Cabinet, and the meetings of the Director-General of Directorate-General for Climate
Action with organisations and self-employed individuals are available in the links enclosed
below:
https://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiative/meetings/meeting.do?host=f1afd532-0d40-
4dcd-8e45-667b57075377
https://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiative/meetings/meeting.do?host=ec1ecb7e-2615-
44eb-895b-6b08637c2a0d
https://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiative/meetings/meeting.do?host=d41e42be-7ff1-
4635-bb4f-e47d38f886ed&startDate=16-03-2018
https://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiative/meetings/meeting.do?host=d41e42be-7ff1-
4635-bb4f-e47d38f886ed
Please note that the Members of the Commission shall make public information on all
meetings held by them and by members of their Cabinet with organisations or self-
employed individuals on issues relating to policy-making and implementation in the Union
in accordance with the Commission Decision 2104/839/EU, Euratom of 25 November
2014. The same obligation applies to officials of the European Commission having the
status of Director-General in accordance with the Commission Decision 2104/838/EU,
Euratom of 25 November 2014. However, the same obligation does not apply to lower-
ranking officials, such as the remaining members of the Directorate-General for Climate
Action.
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 to the Secretariat-General of the
Commission within 15 working days upon receipt of this letter. You can submit it in one of
the following ways:
by asking for a review via your portal1 account (available only for initial requests
submitted via the portal account),
or by mail:
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
Yours sincerely,
Kurt Vandenberghe
Director-General
1
https://www.ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-request
2
Electronically signed on 27/06/2023 11:03 (UTC+02) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121
