Request for Access to Documents under Regulation 1049/2001 – AI Pact Survey Data
Dear Communications Networks, Content and Technology,
I am writing with regard to the AI Pact survey referenced in the Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (AI Act).
The AI Pact appears to include a highly diverse group of participating companies, differing in size, annual turnover, number of employees, and geographic establishment (both within and outside the European Union). In the Staff Working Document, the survey results are presented in aggregated form, without clarification as to the composition of respondents. This aggregated presentation may be potentially misleading, as it does not indicate how responses are distributed across different categories of companies.
More specifically, on page 69, the document states that:
“In a survey of AI Pact signatories, 20% of respondents estimated that their compliance costs would be at least 80% higher, while 26.67% estimated that their compliance costs would increase by 20-50% in the absence of harmonised standards or similar tools for compliance with the high-risk AI systems.”
Furthermore, on page 70, it is stated that:
“In the survey amongst AI Pact signatories mentioned above, 54.05% of respondents said that they have incurred additional costs in order to comply with the new obligation in Article 4 AI Act because of the uncertainty what is required, despite already taking measures to foster AI literacy among their staff before being obliged to do so. The respondents’ answers varied when they were asked how much additional costs they had incurred: 36.11% estimated that their additional annual compliance cost reaches up to EUR 10 000, but 16.67% stakeholders even estimated it at up to EUR 50 000 annually to comply with this obligation”.
Under the right of access to documents as established in the EU Treaties and implemented through Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, I would like to request access to documents containing the following information:
1. The names companies corresponding to the respondents included in the above-mentioned percentages on pages 69 and 70 of the Staff Working Document and specifically:
(a)Page 69:
i)20% of respondents estimated that their compliance costs would be at least 80% higher,
ii)26.67% estimated that their compliance costs would increase by 20-50% in the absence of harmonised standards or similar tools for compliance with the high-risk AI systems.
(b)Page 90:
i)54.05% of respondents said that they have incurred additional costs in order to comply with the new obligation in Article 4 AI Act because of the uncertainty what is required, despite already taking measures to foster AI literacy among their staff before being obliged to do so.
ii)36.11% estimated that their additional annual compliance cost reaches up to EUR 10 000
iii)6.67% stakeholders even estimated it at up to EUR 50 000 annually to comply with this obligation
2.Alternatively, any available breakdown of these responses by company size, sector, or geographic location, if such information exists.
This information is necessary to better understand the representativeness and context of the survey results presented in the document. I would be grateful if you could provide the requested documents in electronic format.
Thank you in advance for your attention to this request. I look forward to your response.
Yours faithfully,
Eleftherios Chelioudakis
Dear Sir or Madam,
We are writing to you concerning your request for access to documents sent
on 25/03/2026 and registered on 25/03/2026 under case number 2026/1722.
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
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4. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Communications Networks, Content and Technology,
Many thanks for your kind and helpful reply.
My postal address is Viktoros Ougko 15, Metaxourgeio, Athens, Greece, Postcode 10437
Yours faithfully,
Eleftherios Chelioudakis
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
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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 25/03/2026 and registered on 25/03/2026 under the case number
2026/1722.
We will handle your request within 15 working days as of the date of
registration. The time-limit expires on 20/04/2026. 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,
Secretariat-General - Access to Documents
European Commission
References
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1. https://ec.europa.eu/info/principles-and...
Dear Sir,
We refer to your request for access to documents, registered under the
abovementioned reference number.
Your application is currently being handled. However, we will not be in a
position to complete the handling of your application within the time
limit of 15 working days, which expires today.
An extended time limit is needed as different services need to be
consulted. Therefore, we have to extend the time limit with 15 working
days in accordance with Article 7(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001
regarding public access to documents. The new time limit expires on 12 May
2026.
We apologize for this delay and for any inconvenience this may cause.
Yours sincerely,
DG CONNECT Access to Documents Team
Dear Communications Networks, Content and Technology,
Thank you for the reply to my request, and all of your related efforts. Looking forward to receiving your answer by 12 May.
Yours faithfully,
Eleftherios Chelioudakis
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
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2. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
3. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Sir,
We refer to your request for access to documents registered under the
reference number EASE 2026/1722.
Unfortunately, we are not able to send the reply to your application
within the given time limit, which expires today.
You will receive the reply to your application as soon as possible.
We apologize for this delay and for any inconvenience this may cause.
Yours faithfully,
DG CONNECT Access to Documents Team
Hello,
Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2026/1722.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this message by return email.
Kind regards,
European Commission
DG CONNECT — ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
Rue de la Loi, 51
B-1049 Brussels/Belgium
Dear Communications Networks, Content and Technology,
Many thanks for your reply. In accordance with Article 7(2) of Regulation 1049/2001 I submitted today before the the Secretariat-General of the European Commission via emaIl ([email address]) a confirmatory application. You can find the body of my email forwarded below.
Yours faithfully,
Eleftherios Chelioudakis
--
Dear members of the Secretariat-General of the European Commission,
My name is Eleftherios Chelioudakis and I am writing this email to you, in order to exercise my right to file a confirmatory application in accordance with Article 7(2) of Regulation 1049/2001. More precisely, in 25 March 2026, I submitted an access to documents request before the European Commission's Directorate-General Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), with application number EASE 2026/1722. All related documentation is available online here.
Why I originally submitted my request
The goal of my request was to understand better the quantitative data presented in the Commission’s Staff Working Document accompanying the AI Omnibus. Specific paragraphs in this document represented statistical data from a AI Pact Survey, and specifically the document "Replies from AI Pact signatories to survey on compliance costs (Ares(2026)4111782)". I was sceptical about the AI Pact survey results, and in particular the way specific figures were used to support claims about excessive compliance costs under the AI Act. More specifically the documented stated:
Page 69:
a)20% of respondents estimated that their compliance costs would be at least 80% higher,
b)26.67% estimated that their compliance costs would increase by 20-50% in the absence of harmonised standards or similar tools for compliance with the high-risk AI systems.
Page 90:
a)54.05% of respondents said that they have incurred additional costs in order to comply with the new obligation in Article 4 AI Act because of the uncertainty what is required, despite already taking measures to foster AI literacy among their staff before being obliged to do so.
b)36.11% estimated that their additional annual compliance cost reaches up to EUR 10000
c)6.67% stakeholders even estimated it at up to EUR 50 000 annually to comply with this obligation.
Thus, under the right of access to documents as established in the EU Treaties and implemented through Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, I requested access to documents
containing the following information:
1. The names companies corresponding to the respondents included in the above- mentioned percentages on pages 69 and 70 of the Staff Working Document, or
2.Alternatively, any available breakdown of these responses by company size, sector, or geographic location, if such information exists.
Response from DG CONNECT
In 20 April 2026, DG CONNECT (Ares(2026)4050210), informed me, and I agreed, that the time limit for handling my application was extended by 15 working days pursuant to Article 7(3) Regulation 1049/2001.
In May 26 2026, I received an email from Roberto Viola, Director-General of DG CONNECT, as a response to my access to documents request. DG CONNECT replied to me that it shall refuse access to the document, since disclosure would undermine the protection of commercial interests of a natural or legal person, including intellectual property. Specifically, DC Connect mentioned that the identified document is covered by the abovementioned exception as it contains business sensitive information relating to the activities and position of the concerned entities. Disclosure of this document could seriously affect these entities’ relations and position in the market and could undermine their commercial interests.
However, while DG CONNECT refused access to the information requested under point 1, it could have provided a meaningful response to point 2 of my application. The alternative request sought only aggregated information, such as a breakdown of responses by company size, sector, or geographical location, which would not identify individual respondents and therefore would not appear capable of undermining the commercial interests relied upon to justify the refusal.
Nevertheless, DG CONNECT did not provide the requested breakdown. Instead, it supplied only a limited and incomplete categorisation of respondents, stating that: "48% of these companies have more than 750 employees, 25% have between 10 and 249 employees, while 27% have between 1 and 248 employees." This information is statistically inconsistent, as the category "between 1 and 248 employees" overlaps with the category "between 10 and 249 employees", making it impossible to understand how respondents were distributed across company-size categories. As a result, the information provided neither adequately responds to my alternative request nor allows for meaningful scrutiny of the survey data relied upon in the Staff Working Document. You can find attached the related response.
My confirmatory application before You
In accordance with Article 7(2) of Regulation 1049/2001, I am entitled to make a confirmatory application requesting the Commission to review DG CONNECT's position, within 15 working days upon receipt of the DC CONNECT's response letter. I therefore, in a timely manner, request from you today, 14 June 2026 to review DG CONNECT's refusal.
My opinion is that DG CONNECT shall grant access to the information requested under point 1. Alternatively, I request that DG CONNECT shall provide a complete and coherent response to point 2 by disclosing any available aggregated breakdown of respondents by company size, sector, and/or geographical location. At a minimum, I request that DG CONNECT shall clarify and correct the statistical information already provided.
An overriding public interest in disclosure exists in the present case, because the requested information concerns evidence relied upon by the European Commission to support legislative and policy choices relating to the Digital Omnibus on AI reform package. The Commission's Staff Working Document cites the results of the AI Pact survey to support claims regarding the compliance costs borne by companies and the need to adjust certain regulatory obligations. These claims have direct implications for the scope and effectiveness of legal safeguards established by the AI Act. Public access to the underlying data, or at least to sufficiently detailed aggregated information about the respondents, is necessary to enable meaningful public scrutiny of the factual basis underpinning these policy conclusions that ultimately led to the amendment and removal of obligations established under the AI Act, including obligations relating to AI literacy under Article 4.
Lastly, the information requested under point 2 of my application consists solely of aggregated data concerning the characteristics of respondents, such as company size, sector, or geographical location. Disclosure of such information would not reveal the identity of individual companies and would therefore not appear capable of causing the harm to commercial interests alleged in the initial decision. At the same time, disclosure would significantly enhance public understanding of the representativeness and reliability of the survey results cited by the Commission.
All the best,
Eleftherios Chelioudakis
Executive Director at Homo Digitalis
PhD (c), LLM, MSc, CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPT, FIP
--
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
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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 confirmatory request for case
2026/1722, sent on 14/06/2026 and registered on 14/06/2026.
We will handle your confirmatory request within 15 working days as of the
date of registration. The time-limit expires on 06/07/2026. We will let
you know if we need to extend this time limit for additional 15 working
days.
Yours faithfully,
Secretariat-General - Access to Documents
European Commission
Dear Mr Chelioudakis,
We are writing concerning your confirmatory request for access to
Commission documents for case EASE 2026/1722 registered on 14 June 2026.
We are currently working on your confirmatory request. However, we have
not yet been able to gather all the elements necessary to carry out a full
analysis of your request due to the need to conduct further services
consultations, that are still ongoing. We will thus not be able to send
you the reply within the prescribed time limit expiring today.
Therefore, in line with Article 8(2) of [1]Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001,
we need to extend this time limit by 15 additional working days. The new
time limit expires on 28 July 2026.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Kind regards,
SG.A.2 Access to Documents Team
References
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Dear SG.A.2 Access to Documents Team,
I hope this email finds you well.
I am sending this communication as a kind reminder, since you have not respected the set deadline, and I am still waiting for a response to my confirmatory request.
Thank you for your time.
Yours faithfully,
Eleftherios Chelioudakis
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
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2. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
3. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear CHELIOUDAKIS, Eleftherios,
Please find attached the electronic version of European Commission
Decision C(2026)5952 as adopted by the European Commission on 20/08/2026
concerning the request 2026/1722.
In accordance with the Terms and Conditions of this portal, please note
that this decision is being formally notified pursuant to article 297 TFEU
through this electronic platform only.
Yours sincerely,