Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 — Columba livia and Regulation (EC) No 338/97
Dear Environment,
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 analysis prepared by the Commission services concerning the status of Columba livia
under Regulation (EC) No 338/97, discussed at the May 2026 meeting of the Committee on
Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora and/or the Scientific Review Group.
2. The agenda, the summary of conclusions and the meeting documents relating to that agenda
item, for both the May 2026 meeting and the earlier February 2026 meeting at which this
matter was raised by Belgium.
3. Any documents setting out the legal basis for the inclusion of Columba livia in Annex A to
Regulation (EC) No 338/97, in particular its relationship to Directive 2009/147/EC (Birds
Directive) and to the species' former listing in Appendix III to CITES.
4. Any documents concerning the assessment of whether the status of Columba livia can be
amended without a full revision (recast) of Regulation (EC) No 338/97, including any
assessment of the scope of Article 19(5) of that Regulation.
Should certain documents be only partially accessible, I request partial access in accordance with
Article 4(6) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001.
If my request is insufficiently precise, I would be grateful to be informed, so that I may clarify it in
consultation with your services.
Yours faithfully,
Racing Pigeon Partners
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are writing regarding your request for access to European Commission
documents registered on 12/08/2026 under case number EASE 2026/4062.
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 application
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.
Why do we need your personal postal address?
The submission of a postal address is mandatory when submitting an
application for access to Commission documents. We would like to explain
why we need your postal address in order to register and handle your
application for access to documents:
1. To verify whether you benefit from the right to access Commission
documents. In accordance with Article 2(1) and (2) of [1]Regulation
(EC) No 1049/2001, read in conjunction with Article 1 of the European
Commission's [2]Detailed rules for the application of Regulation (EC)
No 1049/2001, only citizens of the Union and natural or legal persons
residing or having their registered office in a Member State have the
right to access to Commission documents. This requires an indication
of a valid, individual (not generic) postal address.
2. To notify the Commission's reply via registered mail with
acknowledgement of receipt or via delivery service in case the
notification by email is unsuccessful, i.e. you do not acknowledge the
receipt of the reply by return message.
3. 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 concerning the handling of an
application relating to a very long document or to a very large number
of documents is being evaded by introducing simultaneously several
requests under different identities. In an analogue application of the
situation encountered in Case T-494/08, Ryanair v Commission,
concerning the simultaneous submission of different applications
relating to a large number of documents ([3]EU:T:2010:511, see
paragraph 34), Article 6(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 might 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 tasks 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,
and to comply with legal obligations to which the European Commission is
subject within the meaning of Article 5(1)(b) of Data Protection
Regulation. For further information, please consult the relevant
[4]Privacy Statement and [5]Record of the personal data processing
operation.
By replying to this request, you declare, on your honour, that all
information provided is accurate and truthful and that you understand that
false declarations may lead to legal consequences. Please note that, if
deemed necessary, the Commission may request you to provide adequate
evidence of the indicated postal address.
We would appreciate it if you could provide us the requested information
within 5 working days. In the absence of a reply from your part during
this deadline, we will close your request.
Thank you for your understanding.
Kind regards,
Directorate-General for Environment - Access to Documents
European Commission
References
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1. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
2. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
3. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
4. https://commission.europa.eu/about/servi...
5. https://ec.europa.eu/dpo-register/detail...
