Member States "reports with statistics" according to Article 8 of Regulation 2021/1232
Dear Migration and Home Affairs,
Under the right of access to documents in the EU treaties, as developed in Regulation 1049/2001, I am requesting documents which contain the following information:
The Member States "reports with statistics" according to Article 8 of Regulation 2021/1232 (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...) which DG Home used for its report COM/2025/740 (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...).
Yours faithfully,
Andre Meister
Dear Sir or Madam,
We are writing to you concerning your request for access to documents sent
on 04/12/2025 and registered on 05/12/2025 under case number 2025/6462.
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,
Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs - 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 Migration and Home Affairs,
My postal address is:
Andre Meister, netzpolitik.org, Boyenstraße 41, 10115 Berlin
Yours faithfully,
Andre Meister
Dear Sir or Madam,
We hereby acknowledge the receipt of your request for access to documents
sent on 04/12/2025 and registered on 09/12/2025 under the case number
2025/6462.
We will handle your request within 15 working days as of the date of
registration. The time-limit expires on 09/01/2026. 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,
Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs - Access to Documents
European Commission
References
Visible links
1. https://ec.europa.eu/info/principles-and...
Dear Migration and Home Affairs,
The second deadline expired yesterday. Please answer my request. Please provide a status update.
Yours faithfully,
Andre Meister
Dear Mr Meister,
Thank you for your message. We apologize for the delay. While we have completed preparing the documents, we need a little additional time to ensure they undergo our thorough internal validation and administrative review.
We appreciate your understanding and regret any inconveniences that this delay may cause you.
Kind regards
European Commission
Dear [email address],
On December 4, I sent a right of access request. It has been 45 working days, and I have still not received the documents. Please let me know when I can expect access to the documents.
Yours sincerely,
Andre Meister
Dear Mr Meister,
Thank you for your message. We apologize for the delay - the internal validation and administrative review is still ongoing, but the documents and the reply should be with you shortly.
We appreciate your understanding and regret any inconveniences that this delay may cause you.
Kind regards
European Commission
Dear [email address],
Another two weeks have passed. The legal deadline has long passed. Please let me know when I can expect access to the documents.
Yours sincerely,
Andre Meister