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In April 2008, the Commission put forward a proposal to recast Regulation 1049/2001 regarding access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents. This regulation is of utmost importance since it sets out the conditions under which the public may have access to documents held by Community institutions but also by EU agencies and offices. This recast is the opportunity to improve the Regulation and to expand the right of access to institutions’ documents. Yet, as it currently stands, the Commission’s proposal attempts to unduly and substantively restrict the right of access to documents. This briefing sets out ClientEarth analysis of the Commission’s proposal and presents proposals (with draft amendments where appropriate) to achieve a regulation that enables full and free access to the documents of EU institutions.
The proposed amendments are supported by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and the Green 10. The Green 10 consists in the 10 leading environmental NGOs active at EU level (Greenpeace Europe, WWF European Policy Office, Friends of the Earth, the EEB, European Federation of Transport & Environment, Birdlife International, Climate Action Network, CEE Bankwatch Network, Health and Environment Alliance, International Friends of Nature).