Order of the General Court (Fifth Chamber) of 27 November 2012 — Steinberg v Commission

(Case T-17/10)

Action for annulment — Access to documents — Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 — Documents relating to funding decisions for grants to Israeli and Palestinian non-governmental organisations under the ‘Partnership for Peace’ programme and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights — Partial refusal of access — Exception relating to the protection of the public interest as regards public security — Duty to state reasons — Action in part manifestly inadmissible and in part manifestly lacking any foundation in law

1.                     Actions for annulment — Jurisdiction of the EU judicature — Claim seeking that directions be issued to an institution — Access to documents — Inadmissibility (Art. 263 TFEU) (see para. 44)

2.                     Actions for annulment — Actionable measures — Concept — Measures producing binding legal effects — Preparatory measures — Not included — Position originally adopted in the procedure for access for the public to Commission documents — Preparatory act (Art. 263 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001) (see paras 47, 48)

3.                     EU institutions — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Strict interpretation and application — Requirement that the institution should examine the documents specifically and individually — Scope (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(2), (3) and (6)) (see paras 53-55)

4.                     EU institutions — 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), first indent) (see paras 62-64)

5.                     EU institutions — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Duty to state reasons — Scope (Art. 296 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation 1049/2001, Art. 4) (see paras 66, 67)

6.                     EU institutions — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Period prescribed for responding to an application for access to documents — Extension allowed only once — No decision at the end of the extended period — Arising of a challengeable express rejection decision (European Parliament and Council Regulation 1049/2001, Art. 8) (see para. 99)

Re:

APPLICATION for annulment of Commission Decision SG.E.3/MV/psi D(2009) 3914 of 15 May 2009, partially refusing the applicant access to certain documents relating to funding decisions for grants to Israeli and Palestinian non-governmental organisations under the ‘Partnership for Peace’ programme and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR).

Operative part

1. The action is dismissed as, in part, manifestly inadmissible and, in part, manifestly lacking any foundation in law.

2. Mr Gerald Steinberg is ordered to bear his own costs and pay those incurred by the European Commission.