Udenrigsmi nisteriet
Lora Verheecke
Asiatisk Plads 2
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Enclosures
Case id
Entity
Date
1
23/01220
Legal Service (JTK)
6. November 2023
Request for access to documents
By e-mail on 20 October 2023, you have requested the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs for access to documents by the following terms:
”Under Denmark’s Public administration Act (Lov om offentlighed i
Forvaltningen nr. 6060 af 12/06/2013), I am requesting documents which
contain the following information:
All information (including but not limited to all e-mail correspondence,
attendance lists, agendas, background papers, transcripts and recordings)
AND the meeting minutes/notes relating to the meeting between
Ambassador CARSTEN GRØNBECH-JENSEN and Agridan on 26th
February 2023.”
As mentioned to you during our telephone conversation on 22 October
2023 Ambassador Carsten Grønbech-Jensen first took up his current
position on 1 September 2023. The meeting referred to took place while
Ambassador Per Fabricius Andersen was still heading the Permanent
Representation of Denmark to the European Union in Brussels.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has processed your request in accordance
with the rules on the right to access to documents under The Danish
Access to Public Administration Files Act (Offentlighedsloven) – the
‘Access to Public Administration Files Act’, hereafter.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has conducted a search in the Ministry’s
records etc. for documents relevant to your request. The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs has identified documents, deemed to fall within the scope
of your request. The list of case documents is attached to this decision.
2
The documents you have been granted access to are enclosed, including
explanatory notes.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has exempted one document in
accordance with the rules on the right to access to documents. The
exemptions are listed in the explanatory notes with reference to the
relevant sections in the Access to Public Administration Files Act.
According to section 23 (1), no. 1 of the Access to Public Administration
Files Act, the right of access does not include internal documents. The
Ministry and the diplomatic missions account for one integrated
representation and is one single authority, cf. section 2 in The Law of
Foreign Service (lov nr. 150 af 13. april 1983) as changed in 1997 (lov nr.
331 af 14. maj 1997). In accordance with section 23 (1) no. 1, documents
are internal, when they have not been distributed outside of the Ministry.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has exempted one internal document.
This pertains to an internal e-mail about the meeting. The document does
not contain factual information that has to be extracted in accordance with
section 28 (1).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has considered whether access to the
exempted information shall be granted in accordance with the principle of
additional access to information as governed by section 14 (1) of the
Access to Public Administration Files Act. The Ministry has balanced the
considerations and principles governed by section 23 (1), no. 1 of the
Access to Public Administration Files Act against the legitimate interest
you are assumed to have in having your request for access to information
accommodated. Following this assessment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
finds no grounds to grant access to the concerned documents.
It is not possible to appeal this decision to a higher administrative
authority.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone
+4525267654, or by e-mail at xxxxxx@xx.xx.
Sincerely,
Anne Ehrenreich
Senior Adviser
