Unfair Trading Practices
Dear Secretariat General of the European Commission,
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:
1. A list of meetings/discussions since November 2023 (including those held face to face, online, by telephone etc) between on the one hand: the Commissioners for Agriculture, Trade, and Competition; their respective cabinets, and/or officials from DG Agri, DG Trade and DG Competition; as well as the Commission President Von der Leyen and her cabinet;
and on the other hand, any representative(s) of the following actors :
- FoodDrinkEurope and the following FDE members: BVE (Federation of German Food and Drink Industries), Coca-Cola, Danone, Ferrero, Kraft-Heinz, Mars, Mondelez, Nestle, Pepsico, Suedzucker, Unilever
- EuroCommerce and the following EuroCommerce members: BGA (Bundesverband Großhandel, Außenhandel, Dienstleistungen e.V), Ahold Delhaize, ALDI, Amazon, Carrefour, Colruyt Group, Mercadona
as well as any consultancies, think tanks or law firms working for those actors
in which the issue of unfair trading practices and/or a ban on purchasing agricultural products below production costs, was discussed.
2. Any records, minutes or notes of these meetings/discussions; and any briefings prepared for these meetings.
3. All correspondence exchanged since November 2023 (emails, letters and attached documents) between on the one hand: the Commissioners for Agriculture, Trade, and Competition; their respective cabinets, and/or officials from DG Agri, DG Trade and DG Competition; as well as the Commission President Von der Leyen and her cabinet;
and on the other hand any representative(s) of the following actors:
- FoodDrinkEurope and the following FDE members: BVE (Federation of German Food and Drink Industries), Coca-Cola, Danone, Ferrero, Kraft-Heinz, Mars, Mondelez, Nestle, Pepsico, Suedzucker, Unilever
- EuroCommerce and the following EuroCommerce members: BGA (Bundesverband Großhandel, Außenhandel, Dienstleistungen e.V), Ahold Delhaize, ALDI, Amazon, Carrefour, Colruyt Group, Mercadona;
as well as any consultancies, think tanks or law firms working for those actors
in which the issue of unfair trading practices and/or a ban on purchasing agricultural products below production costs, was discussed.
To the extent possible, my preference is to receive documents in electronic format. Documents that cannot be sent in electronic format should be sent to Corporate Europe Observatory, Rue d’Edimbourg 26, 1050 Brussels – to the attention of Nina Holland. Should you transmit documents to us by regular post, I kindly ask you to announce that in advance in this regard.
I would like to make clear I prefer you produce the documents on a rolling basis.
Should my request be denied wholly or partially, please explain the denial or all deletions referring to specific exemptions in the regulation. Also, I expect the partial release of documents, in case of partial exemption according to article 4.6.
Looking forward to your swift reply, and thank you for your assistance.
Nina Holland
Corporate Europe Observatory
Rue d’Edimbourg 26
1050 Brussels, Belgium
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 request for access to documents
sent on 30/04/2025 and registered on 02/05/2025 under the case number
2025/2458.
We will handle your request within 15 working days as of the date of
registration. The time-limit expires on 26/05/2025. 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,
Subject: Your application for access to documents – Extension of the
Time Limit
We are writing concerning your request for access to Commission documents
registered on 2 May 2025 under case number 2025/2458.
Your application is currently being handled. However, we will not be able
to complete the handling of your application within the time limit of 15
working days, which expires on 26 May 2025.
An extended time limit is needed as some of the documents requested
originate from third parties, which have been consulted.
Therefore, we have to extend the time limit by 15 working days in
accordance with Article 7(3) of [1]Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding
public access to documents. The new time limit expires on 18 June 2025.
We apologise for this delay and for any inconvenience this may cause.
Yours faithfully,
AGRI ATD Team
References
Visible links
1. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Hello,
We are writing concerning your request for access to Commission documents
registered on 02/05/2025 under case number 2025/2546.
We are currently working on your 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 26/05/2025.
• the application concerns documents held by different Services, which
must be consulted.
Therefore, in line with Article 7(3) 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 19/06/2025.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Kind regards,
References
Visible links
1. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Ms Holland,
We refer to your email application for public access to documents of 30
April 2025, registered on 2 May 2025 under the EASE reference number
2025/2545.
Your application is currently being handled and the reply to it should be
finalised very soon.
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 on 26
May 2025, i.e. today.
An extended time limit is needed as the application concerns documents
held by different Services, which must be consulted.
Therefore, we have to extend the time limit by 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 18 June 2025.
We apologise for this delay and for any inconvenience this may cause.
Yours sincerely,
DG TRADE Access to Documents Team
European Commission
Directorate General for Trade
Unit R3 – Transparency, Civil Society and Communications
CHAR
1049 Brussels
Belgium
Dear applicant,
We are writing concerning your request for access to Commission documents
registered on 02/05/2025 under case number 2025/2547.
We are currently working on your 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 26/05/2025.
Therefore, in line with Article 7(3) 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 18/06/2025.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Kind regards,
SG D Secretariat
References
Visible links
1. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/...
Dear Ms Holland,
We refer to your application for public access to documents of 30 April
2025, registered on 2 May 2025 under the EASE reference number 2025/2545.
Your application is currently being handled and the reply to it should be
finalised very soon.
However, we will not be in a position to complete the handling of your
application within the extended time limit of 15 working days, which
expires on 18 June 2025, i.e. today.
Consultations with other Services are still ongoing.
We aim to provide a reply to your initial request as soon as possible.
We apologise once again for this delay and for any inconvenience this may
cause.
Yours sincerely,
DG TRADE Access to Documents Team
European Commission
Directorate General for Trade
Unit R3 – Transparency, Civil Society and Communications
CHAR1049 Brussels
Belgium
Extra-Extension of the Time Limit
Dear Madam,
We are writing concerning your request for access to Commission documents
registered on 2 May 2025 under case number 2025/2458.
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 additionally working days, as the consulted third parties
haven’t responded us yet.
Please be assured, as soon as all third parties respond us, we will send
you our reply.
We apologise for this delay and for any inconvenience this may cause.
Yours faithfully,
Coordinator for access to documents
European Commission
DG Agriculture and Rural Development
Unit I.1 Agricultural law and enforcement
B-1049 Brussels/Belgium
Dear Secretariat General of the European Commission, DG Trade and DG Agri,
Thank you for your updates. I am looking forward to receive the final response soon.
Yours faithfully,
Nina Holland
Hello,
Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2025/2458.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this message by return email.
Kind regards,
AGRI ATD Team
Hello,
Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2025/2458.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this message by return email.
Kind regards,
AGRI ATD Team
Hello,
Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2025/2458.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this message by return email.
Kind regards,
AGRI ATD Team
Link: [1]File-List
Link: [2]themeData
Link: [3]colorSchemeMapping
[4]EASE 2025/2545- Reply to initial request - Ares(2025)5354595 (Please
use this link only if you are an Ares user – Svp, utilisez ce lien
exclusivement si vous êtes un(e) utilisateur d’Ares)
Dear Ms Holland,
With apologies for the delay, please find attached the reply to your
initial request for public access to Commission documents registered under
the above case number EASE 2025/2545.
Kindly acknowledge the receipt of this message by return email. Thank you
very much in advance!
Kind regards,
DG TRADE Public Access to Documents Team
References
Visible links
1. file:///tmp/cid:filelist.xml@01DBEC3E.E1BCB5D0
2. file:///tmp/~~themedata~~
3. file:///tmp/~~colorschememapping~~
4. https://webgate.ec.testa.eu/Ares/documen...
Dear Agri ATD team,
I hereby confirm receipt of three messages containing documents I have requested as attachments.
I will review the documents shortly.
Thank you for your collaboration with my request.
Yours faithfully,
Nina Holland
Dear TRADE ACCES DOCUMENTS,
I hereby confirm receipt of your response to my request, which resulted in 2 identified documents.
Thank you for your collaboration with my request.
Yours sincerely,
Nina Holland
Dear applicant,
Please find attached a message concerning your request for access to
Commission documents registered under the above case number 2025/2547.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this message by return email.
Kind regards,
SG D Secretariat
Dear DG Comp,
I am writing regarding my request for access to Commission documents
registered on 02/05/2025 under case number 2025/2546.
On May 26 2025 I received your message that the time limit was extended until 19 June 2025.
I have since not received further information. Could you please inform me what the state of affairs is, and when I will receive the requested information?
Best regards,
Nina Holland
Also sending to this email address.
From: COMP ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
Sent: Wednesday, October 8, 2025 1:26 PM
To: '[email address]' <[email address]>
Cc: COMP ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS <[email address]>; SG
ACCES DOCUMENTS <[email address]>
Subject: FW: Your application for access to documents – Ref EASE No
2025/2546
Dear Ms Holland,
We have been asked to resend our reply to your request for access to
documents (see below and attached).
You are kindly requested to reply to the present email acknowledging
receipt thereof.
Kind regards,
COMP ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS
From: COMP E5 MAIL <[1][email address]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2025 3:49 PM
To: [2][email address]
Cc: COMP ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS <[3][email address]>
Subject: Your application for access to documents – Ref EASE No 2025/2546
Dear Ms Holland,
We refer to your e-mail dated 30/04/2025 in which you make a request for
access to documents, registered on 02/05/2025 under the above mentioned
reference number.
Please find attached a scan of the reply to your request for access to
documents, signed by the Deputy Director-General in the Director-General’s
absence.
You are kindly requested to reply to the present email acknowledging
receipt thereof.
Please note that the documents for which (partial) access has been granted
are also attached to the present e-mail (see attachments).
Yours faithfully,
Comp E5 team
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[email address]