Ref. Ares(2025)1182190 - 14/02/2025
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS, CONTENT AND
TECHNOLOGY


The Director-General
Brussels,
CNECT.R.4.001
Mr Alexander Fanta
Follow the Money
Rue Auguste Orts 2
1000 Bruxelles
Belgium

Via e-mail:
ask+request-15403-
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx

Subject:
Your application for access to documents – EASE 2025/0200
Dear Mr Fanta,
We  refer  to  your  email  of  15  January  2025,  wherein  you  make  a  request  for  access  to
documents  pursuant  to  Regulation  (EC)  No  1049/2001  regarding  public  access  to
European  Parliament,  Council  and  Commission  documents  (hereinafter  ‘Regulation
1049/2001’), which was registered on the same day under the above-mentioned reference
number.  We  also  refer  to  our  holding  reply,  dated  5  February  2025,  our  reference
Ares(2025)887570,  whereby  we  informed  you  that  the  time  limit  for  handling  your
application  was  extended  by  15  working  days  pursuant  to  Article  7(3)  of  Regulation
1049/2001.
1.
SCOPE OF YOUR APPLICATION
Your application reads as follows:
‘I am requesting all documents (including meeting minutes, e-mails, briefing notes,
etc.) connected to the following meetings with Axel Springer SE:
- Meeting with Commissioner Thierry Breton on 10/03/2021
- Meeting with Commissioner Breton and Filomena Chirico on 14/01/2022
- Meeting with Commissioner Breton and Agnieszka Skonieczna on 28/06/2022’

Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË – Tel. +32 22991111
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx

2.
DOCUMENTS FALLING WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE REQUEST
We  have  identified  the  following  document  as  falling  within  the  scope  of  your
application:
-  Readout  meeting  between  Commissioner  Breton  and  Axel  Springer,  28  June
2022, Ares(2023)5670004 (the ‘Document’).
3.
ASSESSMENT UNDER REGULATION 1049/2001
A.  Full disclosure
Following an examination of the identified document under the provisions of Regulation
1049/2001,  we  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  full  access  can  be  granted  to  the
Document.
B.  No additional documents held
We regret to inform you that, after having verified also with the Commission’s archives,
the Commission does not hold any documents concerning the part of your request:

‘meetings with Axel Springer SE:
- Meeting with Commissioner Thierry Breton on 10/03/2021
- Meeting with Commissioner Breton and Filomena Chirico on 14/01/2022’.
As  specified  in  Article  2(3)  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  1049/2001,  the  right  of  access  as
defined  in  that  regulation  applies  only  to  existing  documents  in  the  possession  of  the
institution.  Given  that  no  such  documents  are  held  by  the  Commission,  we  are  not  in
a position to further fulfil your request.
4.
REUSE OF DOCUMENTS
You  may  reuse  public  documents  which  have  been  produced  by  the  European
Commission  or  by  public  and  private  entities  on  its  behalf  based  on  the  Commission
Decision  on  the  reuse  of  the  Commission  documents.  You  may  reuse  the  Document
originating from the Commission free of charge and for non-commercial and commercial
purposes  provided  that  the  source  is  acknowledged  and  that  you  do  not  distort  the
original meaning or message of the documents. Please note that the Commission does not
assume liability stemming from the reuse.
Please note that the Document was drawn up for internal use under the responsibility of
the  relevant  Commission  services.  It  solely  reflects  the  services’  interpretation  of  the
interventions made and does not set out any official position of the third parties to which
the  document  refers,  which  were  not  consulted  on  its  content.  It  does  not  reflect  the
position of the Commission and cannot be quoted as such.
5.
CONFIRMATORY APPLICATION
In  accordance  with  Article  7(2)  of  Regulation  1049/2001,  you  are  entitled  to  make
a confirmatory application requesting the Commission to review this position.
2

Such  a  confirmatory  application  should  be  addressed  within  15  working  days  upon
receipt of this letter to the Secretariat-General of the Commission by asking for a review
via  your  portal1  account  (available  only  for  initial  requests  submitted  via  the  portal
account), or via the following address:
European Commission
Secretariat-General
Transparency, Document Management & Access to Documents (SG.C.1)
BERL 7/076
B-1049 Bruxelles

or by email to: xxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
Yours faithfully,
Electronically signed
Roberto Viola
Enclosure:
(1)

1 https://www.ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-request
3
Electronically signed on 14/02/2025 10:15 (UTC+01) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121

Document Outline