Document 6BLQVj12oqEyo75x2640DxzYR
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR ENERGY
Ref. Ares(2024)3665462 - 22/05/2024
The Director-General
Brussels
PP ener.a.1(2024)
Ms Vicky Cann Rue d'Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels
B email: ask+request-14144@asktheeu.org
Subject: Your application for access to documents -- 2024/0502
Dear Ms Cann,
We refer to your request for access to European Commission documents registered on 26 January 2024 under the above-mentioned reference number.
You request access to the following documents related to lobbying on PFAS, per and polyfluoroalkyl substances. In particular:
1. A list of all meetings/ discussions since 1 January 2023 between officials and or Commissioners with businesses, trade associations, or think tanks where this topic was discussed.
2. Any records, minutes, preparatory briefings, or other notes of these meetings/discussions.
3. All correspondence since 1 January 2023, where this topic was discussed, exchanged between officials and or Commissioners with businesses, trade associations, or think tanks.
The following documents fall within the scope of your application:
Nr Stakeholder
Ares
Date
Title
Type of disclosure:
I RECHARGE Ares(2024)475765 22/01/2024 [Re] RECHARGE Partial letter: Request to
exclude batteries from the PFAS restriction proposal scope and meeting request date
tbd
Commission europeenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIE -- Tel. +32 22991111 Office: DM24 08/084 -- Tel. direct line +32 229-62496
2 RECHARGE Ares(2023)7683404 09/11/2023 + 3
RECHARGE letter: Request to exclude batteries from the PFAS restriction proposal scope +
Attachment
Partial Partial
4 RECHARGE Ares(2023)7691633 09/11/2023 RECHARGE letter: Partial
+
Request to exclude
5
batteries from the PFASPartial
restriction proposal scop
+ meeting request date tb
+ Attachment
6 Svenskt Vatten AB
Ares(2023)8562235
13/12/2023
Message to Commissioners - Time
to Deal With PFAS
Partial
7 SPECTARIS Ares(2023)6090994 06/09/2023
Invitation KS
Partial
24/10/2023 Brussels
BE to working
breakfast: PFAS - Is
the industry threatened
with an unintended
high-tech ban
8 SPECTARIS Ares(2023)6173009 12/09/2023 RE: Invitation to Partial working breakfast:
PFAS - Is the industry threatened with an
unintended high-tech ban? [Our ref.
Ares(2023)6090994]
9 SPECTARIS Ares(2023)5025617 19/07/2023
Save the Date -
Partial
Invitation KS
24/10/2023 Brussels
BE at the SPECTARIS
breakfast meeting on
PFAS
10 Hydrogen + Europe 11
12 Hydrogen Europe
+
Ares(2023)6740512 Ares(2024)154388
04/10/2023 10/01/2024
Joint statement on the importance of
fluoropolymers for the clean energy transition and the EU's Net Zero
Industry + Attachment
[Re] Joint statement on the importance of
fluoropolymers for the clean energy transition
Partial Full
Partial Partial
2
13 14 Honeywell
15 Honeywell
16 Honeywell
17 Hitachi + Energy 18 19 Hitachi
Energy 20 Johnson + Controls 21 + 22
23 Johnson Controls
and the EU's Net Zero Industry + one signed
Ares(2024)1406088
23/02/2024
MINUTES: HoC Grassi meeting with Ms Stacey Bernards,
VP Global Government Relations at Honeywell Energy
& Sustainability Solutions - 23/02/2024
Partial
Ares(2023)4374932
23/06/2023
MEETING REQUEST AKW [open date] - Meeting with Honeywell on F-Gas regulation
Negative
Ares(2023)4512261 29/06/2023
[Re] MEETING REQUEST AKW
[open date] -
Negative
Meeting with Honeywell on F-Gas
regulation
Ares(2023)1653607 07/03/2023
Hitachi Energy on Fgas regulation + Attachment
Partial Partial
Ares(2023)4374362 23/06/2023 [Re] Hitachi Energy on Partial F-gas regulation
Ares(2023)3713459
26/05/2023
Thank you message following the for
meeting with Johnson Controls & MEETING
REQUEST KS 2829/06/2023 Brussels BE - Meeting with Johnson Controls'
Vice President and Chief Sustainability and External Relations
Officer + + 2 Attachments
Partial Full Full
Ares(2023)3794724
01/06/2023
NO for KS] Thank you message following the
for meeting with Johnson Controls & MEETING REQUEST
Partial
3
KS 28-29/06/2023 Brussels BE - Meeting with Johnson Controls'
Vice President and Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer - MEETING SLOTS OFFERED
24 Johnson
Ares(2023)3031738 28/04/2023 MEETING REQUEST Partial
+ Controls
KS 22-26/05/2023 Partial
25
Brussels BE - Meeting
on F-Gas with the
from Johnson control's
Vice President +
Attachment
26 Johnson
Ares(2023)3146530 04/05/2023 [Re] MEETING Partial
Controls
REQUEST KS 22-
26/05/2023 Brussels
BE - Meeting on F-
Gas with the from
Johnson control's Vice
President
27 Johnson
Ares(2023)4040434 12/06/2023 MINUTES: AW VC Partial
Controls
meeting with Johnson
Controls
representatives on F-
gas - 22/05/2023
28 European
Ares(2023)6552548 27/09/2023 MEETING REQUEST Partial
Partnership
KS [open date] -
for
Meeting with EPEE on
Energy and
a critical matter for the
the
RACHP industry
Environment
(EPEE)
29 European
Ares(2023)7383662 27/10/2023 [Re] Input on F-Gas Partial
Partnership
regulation - Member
for
companies and
Energy and
associations of the
the
European
Environment
Partnership for Energy
(EPEE)
and the Environment
(EPEE)
30 European
Ares(2023)6170998 12/09/2023
Input on F-Gas
Partial
+ Partnership
regulation - Member Partial
31 for
companies and
Energy and
associations of the
the
European Partnership
Environment
for Energy and the
(EPEE)
Environment (EPEE) +
Attachment
4
32 Euroheat & + Power 33
34 Euroheat & + Power 35
Ares(2023)4266390 Ares(2023)3886012
20/06/2023 02/06/2023
Heat Pump Action Plan l Euroheat &
Power Participation + Attachment
Euroheat & power Follow-up - Heat
decarbonization Action plan + Attachment
Partial Full
Partial Full
Having examined the documents requested under the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding public access to documents, we have come to the conclusion that a complete disclosure of documents 1 to 10, 12 to 14, 17 to 20, 23 to 32 and 34 listed above is prevented by the exception concerning the protection of privacy and the integrity of the individual outlined in Article 4(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, because they contain the following personal data:
-
the names/initials and contact information of Commission staff members not
pertaining to the senior management;
-
the names/initials and contact details of other natural persons.
Article 9(1)(b) of the Data Protection Regulation does not allow the transmission of these personal data, except if you prove that it is necessary to have the data transmitted to you for a specific purpose in the public interest and where there is no reason to assume that the legitimate interests of the data subject might be prejudiced. In your request, you do not express any particular interest to have access to these personal data nor do you put forward any arguments to establish the necessity to have the data transmitted for a specific purpose in the public interest.
Consequently, we conclude that, pursuant to Article 4(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, access cannot be granted to the personal data contained in the requested documents, as the need to obtain access thereto for a purpose in the public interest has not been substantiated and there is no reason to think that the legitimate interests of the individuals concerned would not be prejudiced by disclosure of the personal data concerned.
Finally, following an examination of documents 15 and 16 under the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding public access to documents and taking into account the opinion of the third parties, I regret to inform you that your application cannot be granted, as disclosure is prevented by the exception to the right of access laid down in in the first indent of Article 4(2) of this Regulation for the protection of commercial interests. In particular, the documents provide detailed analysis and industry proposals regarding the most sensitive aspects of our F-gases business, including on the quota allocation, specific equipment bans and redlines for the company and industry. It also highlights potential impacts of specific legislative activities of the EU institutions on the industry. In addition, it includes commercially and technically sensitive information on alternatives. This could potentially impact the company's share prices, cause uncertainty among its investors and
customers, while competitors could exploit this situation.
The exceptions laid down in Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 apply unless there is an overriding public interest in disclosure of the documents. we have examined whether there could be an overriding public interest in disclosure of the documents, but that we have not been able to identify such an interest.
5
In addition, please note that documents originating from third parties, which have been consulted, are disclosed to you based on Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001. However, this disclosure is without prejudice to the rules on intellectual property, which may limit your right to reproduce or exploit the released documents without the agreement of the originator, who may hold an intellectual property right on them. The European Commission does not assume any responsibility from their reuse.
Documents 14 and 27 were drawn up for internal use under the responsibility of the relevant officials of the Directorate-General for Energy. It solely reflects the author's interpretation of the interventions made and does not set out any official position of the third parties to which the document refers, which was not consulted on its content. It does not reflect the position of the Commission and cannot be quoted as such.
Please find enclosed copies of the document 11, 21, 22, 33 and 35 and redacted copies of the other documents that can be published.
In accordance with Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, you are entitled to make a confirmatory application requesting the Commission to review this position.
Such a confirmatory application should be addressed to the Secretariat-General of the Commission within 15 working days upon receipt of this letter. You can submit it in one of the following ways:
by asking for a review via your portals account (available only for initial requests submitted via the portal account),
or by mail:
European Commission Secretariat-General Transparency, Document Management & Access to Documents (SG.C.1) BERL 7/076 B-1049 Brussels
or by email to:
@ec.europa.eu
Yours sincerely,
Ditte Juul Jorgensen
1 https://www.ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-request
6
Es Electronically signed on 21/05/2024 18:11 (UTC+02) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121