Special Adviser Juncker (2)
Dear Madam, Sir
On 1 October 2024, the European Commission registered my request for access to documents related to Special Adviser Jean-Claude Juncker under the case number 2024/5098.
I had asked for:
- A list of all meetings Mr Juncker has had in the Berlaymont since 1 December 2019, including meetings with ‘interest representatives’, and meetings with the President and Members of the Commission. Such a list could also be the agenda's of the Special Adviser.
- If no such document exists, my request should be understood as a request for all documents related to meetings Mr Juncker has had in the Berlaymont since 1 December 2019, including meetings with ‘interest representatives’, and meetings with the President and Members of the Commission.
The Commission informed me that it did "not hold any list of meetings or any documents that would correspond to the description given in your application".
Given that former President Juncker has been as Special Adviser for almost five years, this reply somewhat surprised me. It raises the question what work President Juncker has been doing, if no documents exist regarding any meetings he has held.
I therefore am submitting a new, separate request, with a broader scope:
Under the right of access to documents in the EU treaties, as developed in Regulation 1049/2001, I am requesting any and all documents related to the work of Special Adviser Jean-Claude Juncker from 1 December 2019 until present.
I only require digital copies, no physical ones.
Sincerely
Peter Teffer
Follow the Money
Overtoom 197
1054HT Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Dear Sir or Madam,
We hereby acknowledge the receipt of your request for access to documents
sent on 20/11/2024 and registered on 20/11/2024 under the case number
2024/6202.
We will handle your request within 15 working days as of the date of
registration. The time-limit expires on 11/12/2024. 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
Visible links
1. https://ec.europa.eu/info/principles-and...
Dear Madam, Sir,
I refer to my access to documents request registered on 20/11/2024 under the case number 2024/6202. The time-limit has expired on 11 December 2024. I have not been informed of any need to extend the deadline. However, even it the deadline had been extended by 15 working days, that period would have expired by now as well.
Therefore I expect the Commission to reply to my request without delay.
Sincerely
Peter Teffer
Hello,
Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2024/6202.
Kind regards,
HR.E1
Dear Mr Teffer,
We apologize for the delay in the answer to your request registered under the EASE number 2024/6202.
Last Friday 10/01, the unit in charge with the answer sent you a holding reply (see attached) but there has been a bug in the system and you might not have received the notification.
Today the bug has been solved. However, we send you once again the reply in order to make sure that you have received it.
Could you please acknowledge receipt of this e-mail? Thank you!
Best regards,
HR ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS TEAM
Dear Madam, Sir,
Thank you for your message of 15 January regarding request number 2024/6202. Indeed, I had not received the message that additional time was needed. I acknowledge I have now received your information, although I must add that the followed procedure is not in line with Regulation 1049/2001.
Normally, only one extension of the deadline is possible, and only if the applicant is informed with "detailed reasons". The only "reason" I have been given is that more days are needed "[d]ue to the nature of the request". Every request has a "nature", and it has not been explained what "nature" is that of mine, and why this nature requires additional time.
Nevertheless, assuming that "some more days" means a reply within a week or so, I can accept the delay.
best
Peter Teffer
Dear Madam, Sir,
Please pass this on to the person who reviews confirmatory applications.
I am filing the following confirmatory application with regards to my access to documents request registered as case 2024/6202. The prescribed time limit, expired on 14 January 2025.
In a message dated 10 January 2025, which I received on 15 January 2025, the DG for Human Resources and Security said it needed "some more days" to handle the request. Since then, four entire weeks have gone by.
Article 7.4 of Regulation 1049/2001 state: "Failure by the institution to reply within the prescribed time-limit shall entitle the applicant to make a confirmatory application."
While I had hoped that the promise that "some more days" did not mean a delay of four weeks, I see no other option but to file a confirmatory application - and if that does not lead to a reply within the legal time limits, a complaint to the European Ombudsman.
Sincerely
Peter Teffer
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
Visible links
1. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
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
2024/6202, sent on 12/02/2025 and registered on 12/02/2025.
We will handle your confirmatory request within 15 working days as of the
date of registration. The time-limit expires on 05/03/2025. 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 applicant,
We are writing concerning your confirmatory request for access to
Commission documents for case 2024/6202 registered on 12 February 2025.
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. We will not be able to send you the reply within
the prescribed time limit expiring on 5 March 2025 due to the complexity
of the file.
Therefore, in line with Article 8(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 we
need to extend this time limit by 15 additional working days. The new time
limit expires on 26 March 2025.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Kind regards,
Secretariat-General - Access to documents
European Commission
Dear applicant,
We are writing to you concerning your confirmatory request for access to
Commission documents for case 2024/6202, registered on 12 February 2025.
On 5 March 2025, we extended the time-limit for replying to your
confirmatory request to 26 March 2025.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to send you the reply within this
extended time limit due to the complexity of the file.
However, we assure you that we are doing our best to send a reply to your
confirmatory request as soon as possible.
We regret this additional delay and sincerely apologize for any
inconvenience this may cause.
Kind regards,
Secretariat-General - Access to documents
European Commission
Dear Mr Teffer,
Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2024/6202.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this message by return email.
Best Regards,
DG HR.E.1
Dear Madam, Sir,
This is to acknowledge receipt of your reply to my request for access to Commission documents registered under case number 2024/6202.
Sincerely
Peter Teffer
Peter left an annotation ()
Complaint submitted to European Ombudsman on 31 March 2025.