EU-Israel trade agreement
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), datasets, reports, evaluations, briefings and analysis of any kind which contain the following information:
- Legal opinion prepared by the European Commission or external organisations regarding the implications of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 on the EU-Israel trade agreement.
- Any meetings/calls/SMS/text messages hold with the state of Israel or third parties regarding the EU-Israel trade agreement since July 2024
Yours faithfully,
Elena Sánchez
Résidence Palace, International Press Centre
Rue de la Loi / Wetstraat 155
1040 Brussels
Belgium
I would prefer to receive the information to my email.
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
Visible links
1. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
2. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
3. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Sir or Madam,
We hereby acknowledge the receipt of your request for access to documents
sent on 07/11/2024 and registered on 07/11/2024 under the case number
2024/5904.
We will handle your request within 15 working days as of the date of
registration. The time-limit expires on 28/11/2024. 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,
Secretariat-General - Access to Documents
European Commission
References
Visible links
1. https://ec.europa.eu/info/principles-and...
Hello,
Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2024/5904.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this message by return email.
Kind regards,
TAXUD Access to Documents
Dear Ms Sanchez,
We refer to your application for public access to documents of 7 November
2024, registered under the EASE reference number 2024/6035.
Your application is currently being handled and the reply to it should be
finalised very soon.
However, we will not be in a position to complete the handling of your
application within the time limit of 15 working days, which expires on 28
November 2024, i.e. today.
An extended time limit is needed as the documents requested originate from
third parties, which have been consulted.
Therefore, we have to extend the time limit by 15 working days in
accordance with Article 7(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding
public access to documents.
The new time limit expires on 19 December 2024.
We apologise for this delay and for any inconvenience this may cause.
Yours sincerely,
DG TRADE Access to Documents Team
European Commission
Directorate General for Trade
Unit R3 – Transparency, Civil Society and Communications
CHAR
1049 Brussels
Belgium
Dear Ms Sanchez,
We refer to your above-referenced request for access to documents under
Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding public access to European
Parliament, Council and Commission documents (OJ L 145, 31.05.2001, page
43).
Your request is currently being handled. However, in view of the number
and nature of the requests for access to documents the Legal Service is
dealing with, we will not be in a position to complete the processing of
your request within the time limit of 15 working days, which expires
today, 28 November 2024.
For this reason, we will need to extend the time limit by 15 working days,
in accordance with Article 7(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001. The new
time limit expires on 19 December 2024.
Thank you for your understanding.
Yours sincerely,
Access to Documents team
European Commission
Legal Service
Berlaymont
B-1049 Brussels/Belgium
[1][email address]
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
Dear Ms Sanchez,
Attached, please find the Legal Service’s reply to your above-referenced
request for access to documents.
We kindly ask you to confirm and acknowledge, by return email, receipt of
the Commission Legal Service’s reply letter.
Yours sincerely,
Access to Documents team
European Commission
Legal Service
Berlaymont
B-1049 Brussels/Belgium
[1][email address]
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
Dear Secretariat General of the European Commission,
I write to formally request a review of the decision regarding my application for access to the document identified as Note to the file on the Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem (Ares(2024)5849858). While I understand the considerations outlined under Article 4(2), second indent, of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding the protection of legal advice, there exists an overriding public interest that justifies the disclosure of this document.
The ICJ Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 addresses critical issues with implications for international law and EU foreign policy. The EU-Israel trade agreement, and its implications on relations with the Occupied Palestinian Territory, is currently a matter of significant public concern. Citizens have the right to scrutinise the legal reasoning underpinning the EU's policies and actions in this context.
Moreover, the relationship between the EU and its trading partners has far-reaching consequences on domestic and international stakeholders. Disclosing the legal analysis would enable the public and civil society organizations to engage meaningfully with policy discussions, ensuring that EU actions align with its fundamental values, including respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, and the rule of law. The legal advice in question may show how the EU integrates these principles into its trade policies, demonstrating accountability and adherence to international legal standards.
While the protection of legal advice is a legitimate interest, I believe that the public's right to understand the basis of decisions affecting EU-Israel relations, especially in light of the ICJ’s advisory opinion, outweighs the concerns cited in the refusal.
Thank you for considering this request.
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
Visible links
1. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
2. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
3. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Sir or Madam,
We hereby acknowledge the receipt of your confirmatory request for case
2024/5930, sent on 09/01/2025 and registered on 09/01/2025.
We will handle your confirmatory request within 15 working days as of the
date of registration. The time-limit expires on 30/01/2025. 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 Ms SÁNCHEZ,
Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2024/6035.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this message by return email.
Kind regards,
ATD TEAM
DG TRADE
Dear SÁNCHEZ, Elena,
Please find attached the electronic version of European Commission
Decision C(2025)1761 as adopted by the European Commission on 16/03/2025
concerning the request 2024/5930.
In accordance with the Terms and Conditions of this portal, please note
that this decision is being formally notified pursuant to article 297 TFEU
through this electronic platform only.
Yours sincerely,
Access to documents team - SG.C.1