Interactions between Articles 263–265 TFEU and Article 47 CFR
Dear Secretariat-General of the European Commission,
Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, Article 15 TFEU, and Article 42 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, I hereby request access to:
– Any documents, correspondence, memoranda, legal service opinions, and inter-institutional notes concerning the interaction between Articles 263–265 of the Treaty of Functioning of the European Union and Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (effective remedy and fair trial).
The timeframe for this request is 2010 to present. If exact identifiers are unavailable, I request assistance under Article 6(2) of the Regulation to identify the relevant documents (including a list of documents with titles, dates, and references).
If Article 4(2) or 4(3) is invoked, I submit that an overriding public interest in disclosure exists: namely, transparency and accountability in the Union’s system of judicial review and protection of fundamental rights. Partial access under Article 4(6) is requested where full access is not possible.
Please acknowledge receipt and process this request within the timeframe set out in Article 7 of Regulation 1049/2001 (15 working days, with any extension duly reasoned). I prefer electronic access.
Yours faithfully,
Andrej Magyar
Dear Sir or Madam,
We are writing to you concerning your request for access to documents sent
on 08/09/2025 and registered on 08/09/2025 under case number 2025/4534.
Since you have not indicated your postal address, we are not able to start
handling your request. The 15 working days to reply to your request will
start running only when you send us your postal address.
You can send your postal address by replying to this e-mail. If we do not
receive your reply we may close this case.
Please note that you can submit a request for access to Commission
documents via the portal [1]'Request a Commission document', which does
not require you to indicate your postal address.
Why do we need your personal postal address?
Since 1 April 2014, the submission of a postal address became a mandatory
feature when submitting an application for access to Commission documents
via an e-mail. We would like to explain why we need your postal address in
order to register and handle your application for access to documents when
submitted via e-mail:
• Firstly, to obtain legal certainty as regards the date you received
the European Commission reply to your application for public access to
documents. Article 297 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the
European Union (TFEU) states that 'decisions which specify to whom
they are addressed, shall be notified to those to whom they are
addressed and shall take effect upon such notification.' In line with
this provision, if the Commission does not grant full access to the
requested documents, it notifies the reply to the applicant via
registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt or via delivery
service. This requires an indication of a valid postal address by the
applicant;
• Secondly, to apply correctly the [2]Data Protection Regulation (EU)
2018/1725. Knowing whether the applicant is an EU resident (or not) is
necessary for deciding which conditions shall apply for the
transmissions of personal data to applicants for access to documents.
These conditions are not the same for recipients established in the
Union and for recipients in third countries. As the vast majority of
the documents requested contain personal data, the Commission cannot
ensure the correct application of the data protection rules in the
absence of a postal address;
• Thirdly, to apply correctly [3]Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001. Article
4(1)(b) of that Regulation refers to the protection of the privacy and
integrity of the individual and has to be applied in line with the
Data Protection Regulation;
• Fourthly, to protect the interest of other citizens and safeguard the
principle of good administration. The Commission has to treat all
citizens equally by ensuring that the legal framework for public
access to documents is respected. For example, it has to verify
whether Article 6(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 is being evaded
by introducing several requests under different identities. Indeed, in
its Ryanair judgment ([4]EU:T:2010:511), the General Court confirmed
that Article 6(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 cannot be evaded by
splitting an application into several, seemingly separate, parts. In
addition, the Commission has to make sure that the legal framework is
respected and the right of access to documents is not abused by making
requests under an invented identity.
The considerations above show that the request for and the consequent
processing of the applicant's postal address is not only appropriate, but
also strictly necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the
public interest within the meaning of Article 5(1)(a) of Data Protection
Regulation, namely providing a smooth and effective access to documents.
Yours faithfully,
Secretariat-General - Access to Documents
European Commission
References
Visible links
1. https://www.ec.europa.eu/transparency/do...
2. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
3. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
4. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Secretariat General of the European Commission,
Thank you for your reply.
I note your request for a full postal address. Respectfully, I submit that this requirement is not proportionate, given that Article 6(1) of Regulation 1049/2001 explicitly provides that access applications may be made “in any written form, including electronic form.”
I have submitted my request through the AskTheEU.org platform, which provides a valid written and verifiable electronic channel. In practice, institutions overwhelmingly deliver decisions and documents electronically, including in previous 1049 cases.
In line with the GDPR principle of data minimisation (Art. 5(1)(c)), I request that my application be processed as a purely electronic request. Should you nonetheless insist on a postal address, I would provide it only under protest, while kindly requesting that all correspondence and document disclosure continue to take place electronically.
I look forward to your confirmation that the request is admissible on this basis and will be processed within the timeframe set by Article 7 of Regulation 1049/2001.
Yours faithfully,
Andrej Magyar
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,
We are writing to you concerning your request for access to documents sent
on 08/09/2025 and registered on 08/09/2025 under case number 2025/4534.
Since you have not indicated your postal address, we are not able to start
handling your request. The 15 working days to reply to your request will
start running only when you send us your postal address.
You can send your postal address by replying to this e-mail. If we do not
receive your reply we may close this case.
Please note that you can submit a request for access to Commission
documents via the portal [1]'Request a Commission document', which does
not require you to indicate your postal address.
Why do we need your personal postal address?
Since 1 April 2014, the submission of a postal address became a mandatory
feature when submitting an application for access to Commission documents
via an e-mail. We would like to explain why we need your postal address in
order to register and handle your application for access to documents when
submitted via e-mail:
• Firstly, to obtain legal certainty as regards the date you received
the European Commission reply to your application for public access to
documents. Article 297 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the
European Union (TFEU) states that 'decisions which specify to whom
they are addressed, shall be notified to those to whom they are
addressed and shall take effect upon such notification.' In line with
this provision, if the Commission does not grant full access to the
requested documents, it notifies the reply to the applicant via
registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt or via delivery
service. This requires an indication of a valid postal address by the
applicant;
• Secondly, to apply correctly the [2]Data Protection Regulation (EU)
2018/1725. Knowing whether the applicant is an EU resident (or not) is
necessary for deciding which conditions shall apply for the
transmissions of personal data to applicants for access to documents.
These conditions are not the same for recipients established in the
Union and for recipients in third countries. As the vast majority of
the documents requested contain personal data, the Commission cannot
ensure the correct application of the data protection rules in the
absence of a postal address;
• Thirdly, to apply correctly [3]Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001. Article
4(1)(b) of that Regulation refers to the protection of the privacy and
integrity of the individual and has to be applied in line with the
Data Protection Regulation;
• Fourthly, to protect the interest of other citizens and safeguard the
principle of good administration. The Commission has to treat all
citizens equally by ensuring that the legal framework for public
access to documents is respected. For example, it has to verify
whether Article 6(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 is being evaded
by introducing several requests under different identities. Indeed, in
its Ryanair judgment ([4]EU:T:2010:511), the General Court confirmed
that Article 6(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 cannot be evaded by
splitting an application into several, seemingly separate, parts. In
addition, the Commission has to make sure that the legal framework is
respected and the right of access to documents is not abused by making
requests under an invented identity.
The considerations above show that the request for and the consequent
processing of the applicant's postal address is not only appropriate, but
also strictly necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the
public interest within the meaning of Article 5(1)(a) of Data Protection
Regulation, namely providing a smooth and effective access to documents.
Yours faithfully,
Secretariat-General - Access to Documents
European Commission
References
Visible links
1. https://www.ec.europa.eu/transparency/do...
2. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
3. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
4. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Secretariat-General,
Thank you for your messages regarding my request for access to documents concerning the Interactions of Articles 263-265 TFEU with Article 47 CFR
I note that several applications under several DG's have recently been forwarded to SG and that the SG has already acknowledged the applications, and confirmed that the 15-working-day deadline is running, despite the subsequent issuance of an automatic note requesting a postal address. This demonstrates that a request submitted in electronic written form is fully valid under Article 6(1) of Regulation 1049/2001. The later “postal address” notice does not and cannot alter the validity of that registration.
I further note that several of my applications have been registered under the same case number (2025/4534), which shows that the Commission is already consolidating and linking my requests internally. This confirms that the postal-address demand is not required for identification, verification, or admissibility purposes, since the institution clearly recognises all the requests as originating from the same applicant, being myself. In this context, continued suspension on the basis of a missing postal address appears arbitrary and disproportionate.
Moreover, insisting on a postal address from all applicants is not the least intrusive means of fulfilling data-protection obligations. Under Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, all personal data must be treated in accordance with GDPR principles regardless of residency. Forcing collection of a postal address exceeds what is strictly necessary and runs counter to the principle of data minimisation (Article 5(1)(c)).
I therefore respectfully insist that my present request be treated as duly lodged in electronic form, and that the statutory 15-working-day deadline runs from the date of registration, not from the provision of additional personal data.
Please note that any continued refusal to process this request on the basis of a postal-address requirement — in contradiction to both Article 6(1) Reg. 1049/2001 and the Commission’s own inconsistent practice — may constitute maladministration reviewable by the European Ombudsman and a potential failure to act under Article 265 TFEU.
To avoid unnecessary procedural friction, I remain willing to provide a postal address only under protest and without prejudice, should you insist, but I kindly request that all correspondence and disclosures occur electronically, in line with proportionality and modern administrative practice.
Yours faithfully,
Andrej Magyar
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,
We are writing to you concerning your request for access to documents sent
on 08/09/2025 and registered on 08/09/2025 under case number 2025/4534.
Since you have not indicated your postal address, we are not able to start
handling your request.
The 15 working days to reply to your request will start running only when
you send us your postal address. You can send your postal address by
replying to this e-mail. If we do not receive your reply we may close this
case.
Please note that you can submit a request for access to Commission
documents via the portal 'Request a Commission document', which does not
require you to indicate your postal address. Why do we need your personal
postal address? Since 1 April 2014, the submission of a postal address
became a mandatory feature when submitting an application for access to
Commission documents via an e-mail.
We would like to explain why we need your postal address in order to
register and handle your application for access to documents when
submitted via e-mail:
• Firstly, to obtain legal certainty as regards the date you received the
European Commission reply to your application for public access to
documents. Article 297 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
Union (TFEU) states that 'decisions which specify to whom they are
addressed, shall be notified to those to whom they are addressed and shall
take effect upon such notification.' In line with this provision, if the
Commission does not grant full access to the requested documents, it
notifies the reply to the applicant via registered mail with
acknowledgement of receipt or via delivery service. This requires an
indication of a valid postal address by the applicant;
• Secondly, to apply correctly the Data Protection Regulation (EU)
2018/1725. Knowing whether the applicant is an EU resident (or not) is
necessary for deciding which conditions shall apply for the transmissions
of personal data to applicants for access to documents. These conditions
are not the same for recipients established in the Union and for
recipients in third countries. As the vast majority of the documents
requested contain personal data, the Commission cannot ensure the correct
application of the data protection rules in the absence of a postal
address;
• Thirdly, to apply correctly Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001. Article
4(1)(b) of that Regulation refers to the protection of the privacy and
integrity of the individual and has to be applied in line with the Data
Protection Regulation;
• Fourthly, to protect the interest of other citizens and safeguard the
principle of good administration.
The Commission has to treat all citizens equally by ensuring that the
legal framework for public access to documents is respected. For example,
it has to verify whether Article 6(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 is
being evaded by introducing several requests under different identities.
Indeed, in its Ryanair judgment (EU:T:2010:511), the General Court
confirmed that Article 6(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 cannot be
evaded by splitting an application into several, seemingly separate,
parts. In addition, the Commission has to make sure that the legal
framework is respected and the right of access to documents is not abused
by making requests under an invented identity.
The considerations above show that the request for and the consequent
processing of the applicant's postal address is not only appropriate, but
also strictly necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the
public interest within the meaning of Article 5(1)(a) of Data Protection
Regulation, namely providing a smooth and effective access to documents.
Yours faithfully,
Secretariat-General - Access to Documents
Dear Sir,
Please find attached the Commission reply to your request.
Best regards,
HOME Access to documents team
Dear HOME Access to documents team,
Thank you for your message regarding my request for access to documents.
I note that you have reiterated the requirement of a postal address. I respectfully recall that:
1) Under Article 6(1) of Regulation 1049/2001, applications may be made in any written form, including electronic. No provision requires the disclosure of a postal address.
2) You have confirmed that all correspondence and documents will be transmitted electronically. This demonstrates that a postal address is not operationally necessary for the handling of my request.
3) Forcing the collection of a postal address in an electronic-only exchange exceeds the principle of data minimisation (Article 5(1)(c) GDPR) and appears disproportionate.
Please note that the entire exchange on this matter has been submitted as evidence in a complaint to the European Ombudsman (complaint no. 202502596, lodged 9 September 2025 at 13:19 CEST).
I therefore kindly ask you to clarify:
– Do you still insist that a postal address is required before processing my request?
– Or will you proceed to handle it on the basis of my electronic submission, in line with Regulation 1049/2001?
I remain at your disposal for further clarification.
Yours faithfully,
Andrej Magyar
Dear Sir,
Thank you for your email.
Indeed, please provide you postal address for each initial request for access to documents you introduced in order to be able to process and attribute your requests.
Please note that you can submit a request for access to Commission documents via the portal 'Request a Commission document', which does not require you to indicate your postal address.
Best regards,
Access to documents team - SG.A.2
Dear Access to documents team,
Thank you for your reply of 10 September 2025.
In order to avoid further delay to the processing of my request, I hereby provide my postal address as requested:
Zvolenská 1177/4
821 09 Bratislava, Slovakia
However, I must emphasise that this disclosure is made strictly under protest. I maintain that:
1) Article 6(1) of Regulation 1049/2001 permits applications to be submitted in any written form, including electronic, without requiring disclosure of a postal address.
2) You have already confirmed that all correspondence and documents will be transmitted electronically, which demonstrates that a postal address is not operationally necessary.
3) Forcing disclosure of a postal address in an electronic-only exchange raises concerns under the principle of data minimisation (Article 5(1)(c) GDPR) and appears disproportionate.
Accordingly, I note that this request — and the requirement imposed — now forms part of the evidence in an ongoing complaint before the European Ombudsman (case 2596/2025/SB, lodged on 9 September 2025).
I kindly ask that my request be processed without further delay.
Yours sincerely,
Andrej Magyar
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 08/09/2025 and registered on 10/09/2025 under the case number
2025/4534.
We will handle your request within 15 working days as of the date of
registration. The time-limit expires on 01/10/2025. 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...
Dear Applicant,
Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2025/4533.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this message by return email.
Kind regards,
JUST ATD team