EPF College of Auditors report for 2023
Alexander Fanta made this access to documents request to European External Action Service Automatic anti-spam measures are in place for this older request. Please let us know if a further response is expected or if you are having trouble responding.
Dear European External Action Service,
Under the right of access to documents in the EU treaties, as developed in Regulation 1049/2001, I am requesting the Audit Report of the annual accounts of the European Peace Facility for the financial year 2023.
Yours faithfully,
Alexander Fanta
Follow the Money
Rue Auguste Orts 2
1000 Bruxelles
Dear Mr Fanta,
This message is an acknowledgement of receipt for your request for access
to documents, which was registered on 18 February 2025, under Regulation
1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and
Commission documents, which the EEAS is also respecting.
Your requests for access to documents have been registered under reference
number: 2025/026.
Please refer to this numbers in any further correspondence.
In accordance with the Regulation, you will receive a reply within 15
working days. Please note that the calculation of the deadline takes into
account the public holidays followed by the EU institutions and not those
of individual countries.
Your personal data will be processed in accordance with Regulation (EU)
2018/1725 of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with
regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions,
bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data. Please
consult the [1]Privacy Statement for further related information.
The European External Action Service reserves the right to ask for
additional information regarding our identity in order to verify
compliance with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 and the EEAS’s implementing
measures.
Yours sincerely,
EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
[2][EEAS request email]
SG.LD.ATD
References
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1. file:///C:/Users/kangukt/Downloads/eeas_privacy_statement-1.pdf
2. mailto:[EEAS request email]
Dear Mr Fanta,
Your application is currently being handled.
However, we are not in a position to complete the handling of your
application within the time limit of 15 working days.
We therefore, exceptionally, need to extend the deadline for reply by an
additional 15 working days.
Thank you for your understanding.
Yours sincerely,
EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
[1][EEAS request email]
SG.LD.ATD
References
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1. mailto:[EEAS request email]
Dear Mr Fanta,
Your application is currently being handled. However, we are not in a
position to complete the handling of your application within the time
limit.
We apologise for this delay and for any inconvenience this delay may
cause. Would you be so kind as to be patient for a few more days before we
can send you the reply?
Thank you for your understanding.
Yours sincerely,
EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
[1][EEAS request email]
SG.LD.ATD
References
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1. mailto:[EEAS request email]
Dear Mr Fanta,
On behalf of Mr Seppo Nurmi please find attached the reply to your request
for access to documents.
Yours sincerely,
EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
[1][EEAS request email]
SG.LD.ATD
References
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1. mailto:[EEAS request email]
Dear European External Action Service, dear Mr. Nurmi,
I am filing the following confirmatory application with regards to my access to documents request 'EPF College of Auditors report for 2023'.
Regarding the redaction of the recommendations, I wish to dispute the idea that these recommendations are of any military value, or would "expose sensitive information about their military capabilities to the general public", as the EEAS claims. How would that possibly be the case with a few lines of recommendations from an auditor?
I ask the EEAS to explain very specifically how the redacted information would engage the exceptions for military matters and international relations, in the sense that the release of the information would actually and non-hypothetically undermine defence, public security or international relations? I note that the recommendations are likely to touch upon shortcomings in the governance of the funds, but how would that undermine any exception recognized under the law?
As for the undermining of ongoing decision-making, again, audit recommendations are a routine and they are also routinely disclosed publicly in other matters? My sense is that the EEAS wants to avoid public discussion on the appropriate use of tax payer money, but that hardly is an exception under Regulation 1049. I believe that understanding whether the auditors think the money is spent correctly and member states have properly applied safeguards against the misuse of funds constitutes an overriding public interest in disclosure, and failure to release the information makes it impossible for the public to correctly assess whether the auditors recommendations have been properly followed up.
Kind regards,
Alexander Fanta
Dear Mr Alexander Fanta,
This message is an acknowledgement of receipt for your confirmatory application requesting for a review of our reply, dated 15 April 2025, under Regulation 1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents (which the EEAS is also respecting).
Your confirmatory application has the same reference number 2025/026 as the initial one. Please refer to this number in any further correspondence.
In accordance with the Regulation, you will receive a reply within 15 working days. Please note that the calculation of the deadline takes into account the public holidays followed by the EU institutions and not those of individual countries.
Yours sincerely,
EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
[EEAS request email]
SG.LD.ATD
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Mr Fanta,
Your application is currently being handled.
However, we are not in a position to complete the handling of your application within the time limit of 15 working days.
We therefore, exceptionally, need to extend the deadline for reply by an additional 15 working days.
Thank you for your understanding.
Yours sincerely,
EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
[EEAS request email]
SG.LD.ATD
Dear Mr Fanta,
Your application is currently being handled.
However, we are not in a position to complete the handling of your application within the time limit.
Would you be so kind as to be patient for a some more days before we can send you the reply.
Thank you for your understanding.
Yours sincerely,
EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
[EEAS request email]
SG.LD.ATD