Tiftix ta’ inkjesti

Il-każ kien jikkonċerna r-rifjut tal-Kunsill tal-Unjoni Ewropea li jagħti aċċess sħiħ għal opinjonijiet legali dwar il-proposti leġiżlattivi għal Regolamenti li jistabbilixxu l-Uffiċċju tal-Prosekutur Pubbliku Ewropew (EPPO) u l-Aġenzija tal-Unjoni Ewropea għall-Kooperazzjoni fil-Ġustizzja Kriminali (EUROJUST).

Matul l-istħarriġ tal-Ombudsman, il-Kunsill qabel li jiżvela tnejn mill-erba’ dokumenti, iżda baqa’ jirrifjuta li jiżvela bis-sħiħ iż-żewġ dokumenti l-oħra, għalkemm ta aċċess parzjali.

L-Ombudsman taċċetta li r-rifjut li jiġu żvelati l-opinjonijiet legali fl-intier tagħhom kien iġġustifikat fuq il-bażi illi dan setgħa jimmina l-protezzjoni tal-pariri legali u l-proċeduri tal-qorti. Għaldaqstant hija tagħlaq il-każ bis-sejba li ma kien hemm l-ebda amministrazzjoni ħażina, iżda tistieden lill-Kunsill biex jirrevedi r-rifjut tiegħu fid-dawl ta’ żviluppi futuri.

The case concerned the complainant’s request for access to two e-mails sent from the private e-mail account of the President of the Governing Board of the European Research Council Executive Agency to the members of the Scientific Council of the Agency. When the Agency refused access on the basis that the two e-mails were not in its possession as they were sent from a private account, the complainant turned to the European Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman opened an inquiry into the issue, after which the President of the Governing Board provided the Agency with copies of the two e-mails. Thus, the Agency could assess the complainant’s request for access to the e-mails under Regulation 1049/2001^[1]. The Agency then granted the complainant partial access to the documents. The Ombudsman obtained full copies of the two e-mails and was able to verify that the redactions made in the copies disclosed to the complainant were justified.

The Ombudsman therefore closed the inquiry with a finding of no maladministration.

The case concerned the Commission’s refusal to grant public access to draft versions of an Impact Assessment Report (IAR) on indirect land-use change related to biofuels (ILUC). Disclosure of the documents was refused on the ground that it would undermine the Commission’s decision-making process. The complainant, a group of organisations, considered that it should be granted access to the documents it requested.

The Ombudsman inquired into the issue. She noted that in September 2015, Parliament and Council adopted Directive 2015/1513. That Directive was based on the Commission’s legislative proposal to which the impact assessment report, the draft versions of which were at issue in this case, was attached. The Ombudsman therefore proposed that, in light of these new circumstances, the Commission grant public access to the requested documents. The Commission disagreed, arguing that there had been no maladministration on its part. It however invited the complainant to make a new request for access to documents, in light of the new circumstances. The complainant later informed the Ombudsman that, following a new request for access to documents, the Commission granted access to the documents it had requested. The Ombudsman thus closed the case with a finding that no further inquiries into the complaint were justified. She also pointed out that the Ombudsman is entitled to ask an institution to take into consideration, when responding to a proposal for a solution of the Ombudsman in an access to documents case, new arguments as to why a document should be released.

Il-każ ikkonċerna r-rifjut tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea li tagħti aċċess pubbliku għall-formoli tal-evalwazzjoni tal-għotja li tfasslu biex jivvalutaw l-applikazzjonijiet tal-Istati Membri għal kofinanzjament tal-Kummissjoni ta’ data dwar sistemi ta’ pproċessar nazzjonali tar-reġistru tal-ismijiet tal-passiġġieri (PNR[1]). L-ilment tressaq minn Membru tal-Parlament Ewropew.

Meta rrifjutat aċċess għall-formoli tal-evalwazzjoni mitluba, il-Kummissjoni bbażat fuq sentenza tal-Qorti Ġenerali li rrikonoxxiet il-ħtieġa sabiex tinżamm il-kunfidenzjalità tal-proċedimenti tal-kumitati ta’ evalwazzjoni fir-rigward tal-proċeduri tal-offerti. F’dak il-każ, il-Qorti ddeċidiet li l-iżvelar tal-opinjonijiet tal-membri tal-kumitati ta’ evalwazzjoni jikkomprometti l-indipendenza tagħhom, u b’hekk jiddgħajjef serjament il-proċess ta’ teħid ta’ deċiżjonijiet tal-istituzzjoni kkonċernata. Madankollu, l-ilment ikkunsidra, li din is-sentenza ma kinitx applikabbli għal proċedura ta’ evalwazzjoni dwar il-valutazzjoni ta’ applikazzjonijiet għal finanzjament ippreżentati mill-Istati Membri.

L-Ombudsman investigat il-kwistjoni u sabet li r-rifjut tal-Kummissjoni li tiżvela d-dokumenti mitluba ma kienx iġġustifikat. Barra minn hekk, hija qablet li kien hemm interess pubbliku prevalenti fl-iżvelar tad-dokumenti mitluba. Għalhekk l-Ombudsman għamlet rakkomandazzjoni lill-Kummissjoni biex tirrilaxxa d-dokumenti mitluba (madankollu hi qablet li l-ismijiet tal-evalwaturi setgħu jiġu ingassati).

Il-Kummissjoni rrifjutat li taċċetta r-rakkomandazzjoni tal-Ombudsman mingħajr ma pprovdiet raġunijiet konvinċenti għall-pożizzjoni tagħha. Għalhekk l-Ombudsman għalqet il-każ bis-sejba li kien hemm amministrazzjoni ħażina.

 

[1] Data tar-Reġistru tal-Ismijiet tal-Passiġġieri (PNR) hija informazzjoni pprovduta mill-passiġġieri waqt ir-riservazzjoni u l-ibbukkjar ta’ biljetti u meta jagħmlu check-in fuq titjiriet, kif ukoll miġbura minn trasportaturi tal-ajru għall-iskopijiet kummerċjali tagħhom stess. Din ikun fiha diversi tipi ta’ informazzjoni, bħal dati tal-ivvjaġġar, itinerarju tal-ivvjaġġar, informazzjoni dwar il-biljett, dettalji ta’ kuntatt, aġent tal-ivvjaġġar li mingħandu tkun ġiet ibbukkjata t-titjira, mezzi ta’ pagament li jintużaw, numru tas-sit u informazzjoni dwar il-bagalja. Id-data tinħażen fil-bażijiet ta’ data tar-riservazzjoni u tal-kontroll tat-tluq tal-linji tal-ajru.

The case concerned the Commission’s failure to reply to the complainant’s correspondence in the context of a financial audit at the Member State level. Following the Ombudsman’s intervention, the Commission replied. It disclosed the document requested by the complainant but redacted some personal data (names of physical persons). The Ombudsman found that the Commission correctly justified the redaction under Regulation 45/2001.

The case concerned the handling of a request for information as how to obtain a downloadable version of a case law database held by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (‘EUIPO’). The Ombudsman inquired into the issue and asked EUIPO to better explain its reasons why it could not comply with the request. The EUIPO’s explanation was accurate and reasonable. Thus, the case was closed with the finding of no maladministration.

The case concerned a refusal by the Commission to disclose the names of staff who had worked on a Commission State aid investigation. In the course of the inquiry the Ombudsman obtained the views of the Commission, the complainant and the European Data Protection Supervisor.

The question of whether the refusal to disclose the names was right hinged upon Article 8 of Regulation 45/2001 on Data Protection. Under that provision the person asking for disclosure must first show the necessity of disclosing the names to that person. If that test is met, the public authority must still establish whether the legitimate interests of the staff members would be affected by the disclosure of their names and, if so, whether those legitimate interests were more important than the necessity put forward by the person asking for the disclosure of the names.  

While holding that the Commission should not apply Article 8 in a restrictive manner when names of staff are at issue, the Ombudsman found that there was no maladministration on the part of the Commission in refusing to disclose the names of the staff members at issue.

The complaint, submitted by the NGO Access Info Europe, concerns the European Commission's allegedly wrongful refusal to grant full public access to evaluation documents concerning a public procurement process for the 'Rehabilitation and extension of the waste water treatment plant of Subotica' (Serbia). The disclosure of the documents was refused on the basis of Article 4(1)(b) (the protection of personal data), Article 4(2) (the protection of commercial interests) and Article 4(3) (the protection of the decision-making process) of Regulation 1049/2001. The complainant considered that it should be granted full access to the evaluation documents.

The Ombudsman inquired into the issue and found that there was no maladministration in the Commission's conduct.  However, she suggests that the Commission should systematically obtain, prior to their appointment, the consent of evaluation committee members in procurement processes to the disclosure of their names. Disclosure of their names at the conclusion of the evaluation process should be considered a condition of appointment to such a committee.

The case concerned the Commission’s failure to reply to the complainant’s letter concerning alleged illegalities committed by national courts in Estonia. In that letter, the complainant also criticised the Commission for not taking any action. The Commission explained that it has no competence to intervene in the matter. The Ombudsman inquired into the issue and found that the Commission’s explanations were correct, helpful and in line with its statutory powers. The case was thus closed as settled.

The case concerned the handling by the European External Action Service (EEAS) of the complainant’s request for public access to the “Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement” between the EU and Cuba. In the course of the Ombudsman’s inquiry, the EEAS released the document. As a result, the Ombudsman closed the case as settled.