Executive Director European Food Safety Authority

 

Dear Dr X,

Thank you for your letter dated 30 October 2023, in which you informed me about further progress in implementing the measures that EFSA committed to take in reply to my recommendations in the above case.

I welcome that EFSA has now amended its Management Board Decision on the practical arrangements for implementing Regulation 1049/2001 and am satisfied that the issues identified in the context of my inquiry have been addressed.

I am also pleased that EFSA has in the meantime published the guidance document it drew up for those interested in requesting public access to documents held by it, as well as the recordings of the related webinar. I am confident that this material will prove useful to future applicants.

It is encouraging to note that EFSA has now launched the trial phase for its new IT tool for handling voluminous access to document requests and that first results are positive. I would appreciate it if EFSA could indeed share its overall experience and future plan regarding this tool, once the trial phase has been completed.

Yours sincerely,

Emily O'Reilly
European Ombudsman

Strasbourg, 22/11/2023