Evidence for the need to excemptions from neutrality
Mathias Schindler made this access to documents request to Communications Networks, Content and Technology This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.
Dear Communications Networks, Content and Technology,
Under the right of access to documents in the EU treaties, as developed in Regulation 1049/2001, I am requesting documents which contain the following information:
* Any information (including correspondence, letters, memos, studies, drafts) relating to special services in the context of net neutrality, especially but not limited to information relating to tele-medicine, cars, teleconferences, videogames, video streaming. It also includes any information that relates to both theoretical products as well as specific products and services and its classification.
If information is not held by DG Connect but rather by other entities of the European Commission, I would like to have this included in this request.
Yours faithfully,
Mathias Schindler
The activity of European Commission departments is likely to be reduced
during August. We will handle your requests for access to documents as
soon as possible. However, some delays may occur, especially where the
processing of data requires the consultation of national administrations,
external organisations or other services.
* * *
L'activité des services de la Commission européenne étant réduite durant
le mois d'août, vos demandes d'accès aux documents seront traitées dans
les meilleurs délais. Toutefois, certains retards peuvent se produire, en
particulier lorsque le traitement des données exige la consultation des
administrations nationales, d’organisations extérieures ou d’autres
services.
* * *
Die Tätigkeiten der Dienststellen der Europäischen Kommission sind im
August reduziert; Ihre Anträge auf Zugang zu Dokumenten werden dennoch so
schnell wie möglich bearbeitet. Allerdings können Verzögerungen auftreten,
insbesondere wenn die Berarbeitung der Anträge die Konsultierung der
nationalen Verwaltungen, externer Organisationen oder anderer
Dienststellen erforderlich macht.
Thank you for your request for access to documents. Unfortunately you have not indicated your postal address that is required for registering and handling your request in line with the procedural requirements. Please send us your full postal address at your earliest convenience. Pending your reply, we reserve the right to refuse the registration of your request.
You may, of course, use directly the electronic form for entering your request:
http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/...
You have lodged your application via the AsktheEU.org website. Please note that this website is not under the European Commission's management, therefore the European Commission cannot be held accountable for any technical issues or problems linked to the use of this system.
ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS TEAM
European Commission
Secretariat General
Unit SG.B4 – Transparency
Dear Communications Networks, Content and Technology,
as you might know, the requirement for a postal address is a bogus one that does not serve any legitimate purpose and is used as a deterrent against freedom of information requests by the European Commission. Please confirm that your request for a postal address was sent in error and is void.
In the interest of not letting you stall this request for information, I will provide you with a postal request without any acknowledgement of any requirement to do so. The postal address is
Mathias Schindler
Bundestagsbüro Julia Reda, MdEP
Unter den Linden 50
11011 Berlin
Germany
Yours faithfully,
Mathias Schindler
Dear Mr Schindler,
Thank you for your request dated 14/08/2015. We hereby acknowledge receipt of your application for access to documents registered on 14/08/2015 under the reference number GestDem 2015/4384.
In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents, you will receive a response to your request within 15 working days: 04/09/2015.
If this deadline needs to be extended, you will be informed in due course.
Best regards,
ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS TEAM
European Commission
Secretariat General
Unit SG.B4 – Transparency
Dear Mr Schindler,
on behalf of the European Commission I would like to confirm that the requirement of a postal address forms part of our usual established administrative practice. It results, among others, from the need for ensuring legal certainty in notifying the Commission decisions on access-to-documents to the applicants. Detailed information on the rationale of this approach has been provided on several occasions to the NGO 'Access Info Europe' (responsible for the 'AsktheEU' Website, the European Ombudsman and the European Data Protection Supervisor (who has formally endorsed this requirement).
For a more extensive explanation I would like to refer you to one of the replies given by the European Commission on this issue, which is available on the AsktheEU website:
http://www.asktheeu.org/en/request/certi...
(see message of 15 June 2015).
Please rest assured that following the indication of a valid postal address in your email of today, your request has been registered and will be processed as quickly as possible.
Yours sincerely,
Martin Kröger
Head of Unit
European Commission
Secretariat General
Unit SG.B4 – Transparency
Dear Mr. Kröger,
thank you for your letter. Your observation is correct that the issue of postal address requirements has come up again in recent times. It has also been subject of a Written Question to the Commission that resulted in a remarkable statement. In the 13 years of using Regulation 1049/2001 not being encumbered with a postal address requirement, the Commission could only account for one single case of what it calls abuse (there are both doubts about this classification and the question whether a postal address requirement would have prevented it).
The Commission should abstain from impeding access to documents requests.
Mit freundlichem Gruß,
Mathias Schindler
Dear Sir,
Please find attached a letter for your attention.
Yours faithfully,
On behalf of Vesa Terävä,
Carine LAMBEAU
Administrative Assistant
[1][IMG]
European Commission
DG CONNECT
Unit B2
BU33 06/57
B-1049 Brussels/Belgium
+32 2 299 84 31
[2][email address]
References
Visible links
1. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/n...
2. mailto:[email address]
Dear Vesa Terävä,
thank you for your email today in which you ask for clarification.
The information request deals with one aspect of the "net neutrality" legislation. Commissioner Günther Oettinger has on various occasions referred to the need to have special services exempted from net neutrality. Among the examples given are
* self-driving cars and other technology embedded in verhicles
* medicine services, such as telemedicine and teleconsultation using streaming video and remotely controlled medical devices
See also:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZaaSC7E...
( German Ministry of Finance on March 5, 2015)
A Written Question under Rule 130 of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament on the same subject was not answered on the question but with a more general statement (http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getD... and http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getA...)
Given the number of times the commissioner has justified the need to loophole net neutrality legislation and the number of times he has given examples for applications conflicting net neutrality and the work that has been put in answering questions from Members of Parliament on the same subject, there should be sufficient information available to process this information request.
Yours faithfully,
Mathias Schindler
Veuillez trouver ci-joint le document Ares(2015)3941477 concernant "GESTDEM 2015/4384 Request for access to documents - SCHINDLER - Extension of deadline" envoyé par M TERÄVÄ Vesa le 24/09/2015.
Please find attached document Ares(2015)3941477 regarding "GESTDEM 2015/4384 Request for access to documents - SCHINDLER - Extension of deadline" sent by Mr TERÄVÄ Vesa on 24/09/2015.
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Note: This e-mail was automatically generated by the European Commission's central mail registration system.
Replies by e-mail must be addressed to the original sender TERÄVÄ Vesa (mailto:[email address]).
Remarque : Cet e-mail a été généré automatiquement par le système d'enregistrement central du courrier de la Commission européenne.
Toute réponse éventuelle par e-mail doit être adressée à l'expéditeur en personne, à savoir TERÄVÄ Vesa (mailto:[email address]).
Please find attached document Ares(2015)4307229 regarding "GESTDEM 2015/4384 Request for access to documents - Mr SCHINDLER - the second extension request of the deadline" sent by Mr TERÄVÄ Vesa on 15/10/2015.
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Note: This e-mail was automatically generated by the European Commission's central mail registration system.
Replies by e-mail must be addressed to the original sender TERÄVÄ Vesa (mailto:[email address]).
Remarque : Cet e-mail a été généré automatiquement par le système d'enregistrement central du courrier de la Commission européenne.
Toute réponse éventuelle par e-mail doit être adressée à l'expéditeur en personne, à savoir TERÄVÄ Vesa (mailto:[email address]).
Dear Vesa Terävä,
thank you for your email. I do not consent to a further delay beyond the limits set in Regulation 1049/2001
Yours sincerely,
Mathias Schindler
Dear Communications Networks, Content and Technology,
I am hereby asking for a confirmatory application to the Access for Documents request GestDem 2015/4384. under Regulation 1049/2001.
Yours faithfully,
Mathias Schindler
Dear Mr Schindler,
Thank you for your email of 29/10/2015. We have in the meantime been informed by DG CNECT that it will send you a complementary initial reply in a few days.
In view of this, we would like to inform you that the Secretariat General will not register your confirmatory application at this stage. However, if you wish to submit a confirmatory request following receipt of the initial request, you remain free to do so.
Best regards,
ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS TEAM
European Commission
Secretariat General
Unit SG.B4 – Transparency
Dear SG.B4,
The access to documents request was sent on August 14, 2015 and registed the same day under the reference number GestDem 2015/4384.
In accordance with Regulation 1049/2001, the time-limit for the respone was September 4, 2015.
On September 3, DG CONNECT stated its inability to identify concrete documents with the information given in the application and set a new time-limit upon receiving the requested clarifications.
On September 24, DG CONNECT invoked Article 7(3) of the Regulation and extended the time-limit to October 15.
On October 15, DG CONNECT stated its inability to respond to my request within the time-limit set by Regulation 1049/2001.
Article 7(4) of the Regulation states that failure to reply by the institution to reply within the prescribed time-limit shall entitle the applicant to make a confirmatory application. Regardless of the validity of DG CONNECT's maneuvre to extend the deadline with the unnecassary clarification request on September 3, the conditions for a confirmatory application are met since October 15. There is neither a need nor a reason to refuse registering this confirmatory application.
Please confirm the registration of this confirmatory application.
Yours faithfully,
Mathias Schindler
Dear Mr Schindler,
Thank you for your email dated 29/10/2015, registered on 30/10/2015. I hereby acknowledge receipt of your a confirmatory application for access to documents (ref.: Ares(2015)4724145 – GestDem 2015/4384).
In accordance with Regulation 1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents, you will receive a response to your request within 15 working days (23/11/2015).
In case this deadline needs to be extended, you will be informed in due course.
Best regards,
ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS TEAM
European Commission
Secretariat General
Unit SG.B4 – Transparency
Please find attached document Ares(2015)4821965 regarding "GESTDEM 2015/4384 Request for access to documents - SCHINDLER - GestDem 2015/4384" sent by Mr/Ms VIOLA Roberto on 04/11/2015.
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Note: This e-mail was automatically generated by the European Commission's central mail registration system.
Replies by e-mail must be addressed to the original sender VIOLA Roberto (mailto:[email address]).
Remarque : Cet e-mail a été généré automatiquement par le système d'enregistrement central du courrier de la Commission européenne.
Toute réponse éventuelle par e-mail doit être adressée à l'expéditeur en personne, à savoir VIOLA Roberto (mailto:[email address]).
Dear Mr Schindler,
Kindly find the answer to your confirmatory application concerning your
request for access to documents pursuant to Regulation (EC) N° 1049/2001
regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission
documents (Gestdem 2015/4384).
Yours sincerely,
Carlos Remis
SG.B.4
Transparence
Berl. 05/315