To whom it May Concern,

on behalf of Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), I would like to - under the right of access to documents in the EU treaties as developed in Regulation 1049/2001 - request access to the following documents:
- all correspondence (including emails and WhatsApp messages) from the airlines industry to DG GROW about the French government's ban on short-distance domestic flights.

The background for this request is as follows: in autumn 2021 airports lobby groups as well as airlines lodged complaints to the European Commission against the French government’s ban on domestic flights for which an alternative by train of less than 2 hours and 30 minutes exists. The two complaints were registered as respectively CHAP(2021)03705 on 6 October 2021 and CHAP(2021)03855 on October 2021. In December 2021 the European Commission opened an investigation into the French government’s plans. A decision on the examination was published December 1st 2022 (2022/2358). This access to documents request concerns the complaint from the airlines and any further correspondence from the airlines on this matter.

There is a clear public interest in the disclosure of these documents. The transparency rules as set out in the Lisbon Treaty oblige the EU institutions to work as openly and as closely as possible to the citizens. There is moreover clearly a lot at stake for EU citizens in this case, as it concerns the right of public authorities to introduce the strong and ambitious policy measures needed to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Yours faithfully,

Olivier Hoedeman
on behalf of Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)
Rue d'Edimbourg 26
1050 Brussels

Dear DG GROW, thank you for your message!

There was an unfortunate mistake in the wording of my request. The access to documents request should indeed be handled by the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE).

Yours faithfully,

Olivier Hoedeman