Judgment of the General Court (Fifth Chamber) of 12 September 2013 —
Besselink v Council

(Case T‑331/11)

Access to documents — Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 — Draft Council Decision authorising the Commission to negotiate the Accession Agreement of the European Union to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms — Exception relating to the protection of the public interest as regards international relations — Partial access — Obligation to state reasons — Application for measures of organisation of procedure or inquiry — Inadmissible

1.                     Institutions of the European Union — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Subject-matter — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Strict interpretation and application (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, fourth and eleventh recitals and Arts 1 and 4) (see paras 28-31)

2.                     Institutions of the European Union — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Protection of the public interest — Judicial review — Scope — Limits (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(1)(a), third indent) (see paras 32-34, 51, 88)

3.                     Judicial proceedings — Application initiating proceedings — Formal requirements — Brief summary of the pleas in law on which the application is based — Similar requirements for claims invoked in support of a plea (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 44(1)(c)) (see paras 38, 39)

4.                     Institutions of the European Union — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Mandatory exceptions — Prior balancing of the interests at stake — Not included (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(1)) (see para. 44)

5.                     Institutions of the European Union — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Applicant pursuing a personal interest — Irrelevant to the right of access (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 2(1)) (see para. 46)

6.                     Institutions of the European Union — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Obligation to state reasons — Scope (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4) (see paras 50, 96, 98-100, 106)

7.                     Institutions of the European Union — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Protection of the public interest — International relations — Scope — Negotiating guidelines for accession of the EU to the European Convention on Human Rights — Inclusion — Exception — Guidelines having been the subject-matter of a communication to the negotiating partners (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(1)(a), third indent) (see paras 56, 58, 70-72, 78)

8.                     Institutions of the European Union — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the principle of access to documents — Obligation to grant partial access to data not covered by the exceptions — Observance of the principle of proportionality (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(6)) (see paras 83, 84)

9.                     Institutions of the European Union — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Requirement that the institution should examine the documents specifically and individually — Scope (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4) (see para. 103)

10.                     Actions for annulment — Judgment annulling a measure — Indication of measures to be adopted in consequence of annulment — No jurisdiction of the EU judicature (Art. 266 TFEU) (see paras 109, 110)

Re:

APPLICATION for annulment of the Council Decision of 1 April 2011 refusing access in full to document 9689/10, containing a draft Council Decision authorising the Commission to negotiate the Accession Agreement of the European Union to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, signed in Rome on 4 November 1950.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Annuls the Council Decision of 1 April 2011 refusing full access to document 9689/10 in that it refuses access to Negotiating Directive No 5 and to the undisclosed parts of the requested document, which set out the principles laid down in the EU Treaty that should govern negotiations for the accession of the European Union to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, signed in Rome on 4 November 1950, or which only set out the questions to be addressed in the negotiations;

2. Dismisses the action as to the remainder;

3. Orders the parties to bear their own costs.