French paper on EEAS future and Kallas e-mail
Alexander Fanta made this access to documents request to European External Action Service
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 a French government assessment regarding the future of the EEAS, as well as a e-mail by High Representative Kaja Kallas referencing the ongoing discussion. Both documents are mentioned in a recent report by the Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/a7278d93-98fc...
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 15 June 2026, under Regulation
1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and
Commission documents, which the EEAS is also respecting.
Your request for access to documents has been registered under reference
number: 2026/128
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.
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 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.
In case we need additional information, clarification or context to the
nature of your request, you will be contacted by us.
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,
This message is an acknowledgement of receipt for your request for access
to documents, which was registered on 17 June 2026, under Regulation
1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and
Commission documents, which the EEAS is also respecting.
Your request for access to documents has been registered under reference
number: 2026/128
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.
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 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.
In case we need additional information, clarification or context to the
nature of your request, you will be contacted by us.
Yours sincerely,
EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
[1][EEAS request email]
SG.LD.ATD
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[EEAS request email]
EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS would like to recall the message, “Acknowledgement of receipt to your request for public access to documents - Preparation for Commissioner McGrath's Silicon Valley visit - 128”.
Dear Mr Fanta,
This message is an acknowledgement of receipt for your request for access
to documents, which was registered on 17 June 2026, under Regulation
1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and
Commission documents, which the EEAS is also respecting.
Your request for access to documents has been registered under reference
number: 2026/131
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.
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 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.
In case we need additional information, clarification or context to the
nature of your request, you will be contacted by us.
Yours sincerely,
EEAS ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
[1][EEAS request email]
SG.LD.ATD
References
Visible links
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
Visible links
1. mailto:[EEAS request email]
Dear Mr Nurmi, dear EEAS,
I wish to file a confirmatory application with regards to my access to documents request 'French paper on EEAS future and Kallas e-mail'.
For one, I would like to understand whether the EEAS really does not hold the "French paper". I understand that High Representative Kallas directly responded to it in her e-mail, therefore it seems odd for her not to have read it. Could you clarify, along the lines of the Stevi v Commission ruling, what steps you have taken to search for the French paper? Your reply states that the paper "is not in possession of the EEAS nor of the Cabinet of the High Representative". But I wonder whether the High Representative herself holds it, perhaps on a personal device? I believe that it must be deemed to be in the possession of the institution regardless in what form and on what device.
Also, I would like to object to the refusal in regards to the e-mail of 11 June. The EEAS grounds its refusal on the international relations exception, and argues that the "dissemination of this information to the general public would be misinterpreted by the EEAS partners in third countries, and would thereby discourage their day-to-day cooperation". I feel this argument is very vague, and I wish to dispute it. How, exactly, does the EEAS believe an internal debate within EU countries about the EEAS would harm the institution? I believe that the EEAS must advance a credible theory of harm in relation to the document in question. Also, I doubt that the international relations exception really applies here, as we are talking about a purely internal EU debate, which might eventually have consequences for the EU's external relations, but can not in itself reasonably be assumed to harm external relations.
A full history of my request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.asktheeu.org/request/french_...
Yours faithfully,
Alexander Fanta
Dear Mr Fanta,
This message is an acknowledgement of receipt for your confirmatory application requesting for a review of our reply, dated 22 July 2026, 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 2026/128 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
[1][EEAS request email]
SG.LD.ATD
References
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1. mailto:[EEAS request email]