Judgment of the General Court (Fifth Chamber), 4 May 2012

Sophie in ’t Veld v Council of the European Union

Access to documents — Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 — Opinion of the Council’s Legal Service on a recommendation from the Commission to authorise the opening of negotiations for an international agreement — Partial refusal to grant access — Exception relating to the protection of the public interest in the field of international relations — Exception relating to the protection of legal advice — Specific and foreseeable threat to the interest in question — Overriding public interest

Case T‑529/09



Top of the page Documents in the Case
Document Date Name of the parties Subject-matter Curia EUR-Lex Autres Liens
Judgment (OJ)
08/06/2012 In 't Veld v Council
Judgment
ECLI:EU:T:2012:215
04/05/2012 In 't Veld v Council
Judgment (Summary)
ECLI:EU:T:2012:215
04/05/2012 In 't Veld v Council
Application (OJ)
27/03/2010 In 't Veld v Council
Top of the page Legal analysis of the decision or of the case

Reports of Cases

published in the electronic Reports of Cases (Court Reports - general)

Subject-matter

Annulment of the Council Decision of 8 September 2009, refusing to grant the applicant full access to an opinion of the Legal Service of the Council concerning the recommendation from the Commission to the Council to obtain the authorisation for the opening of negotiations for an international agreement between the European Union and the United States of America on the processing and transfer of Financial Messaging Data from the European Union to the United States for purposes of the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program.

Systematic classification scheme

1.
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.02 Exceptions
      2.03.02.01 Principles
        2.03.02.01.03 Concrete, individual examination of the documents
          2.03.02.01.03.01 Obligation to carry out a concrete, individual examination
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.02 Exceptions
      2.03.02.02 Absolute exceptions
        2.03.02.02.01 Protection of the public interest
          2.03.02.02.01.00 General
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.06 Contentious procedure
      2.03.06.02 Scope of judicial review
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.02 Exceptions
      2.03.02.02 Absolute exceptions
        2.03.02.02.01 Protection of the public interest
          2.03.02.02.01.03 International relations
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.03 Respective powers and obligations of the European Union and of the Member States
    1.03.01 Conferring of powers
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.05 Legal acts of the European Union
    2.05.00 General
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.02 Exceptions
      2.03.02.02 Absolute exceptions
        2.03.02.02.01 Protection of the public interest
          2.03.02.02.01.03 International relations
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.02 Exceptions
      2.03.02.03 Relative exceptions
        2.03.02.03.04 Protection of court proceedings and legal advice
          2.03.02.03.04.02 Legal advice
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.02 Exceptions
      2.03.02.03 Relative exceptions
        2.03.02.03.04 Protection of court proceedings and legal advice
          2.03.02.03.04.02 Legal advice
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.02 Exceptions
      2.03.02.03 Relative exceptions
        2.03.02.03.02 Prior balancing of the interests at stake
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.02 Exceptions
      2.03.02.03 Relative exceptions
        2.03.02.03.04 Protection of court proceedings and legal advice
          2.03.02.03.04.02 Legal advice
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.02 Exceptions
      2.03.02.03 Relative exceptions
        2.03.02.03.04 Protection of court proceedings and legal advice
          2.03.02.03.04.02 Legal advice
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.02 Exceptions
      2.03.02.01 Principles
        2.03.02.01.04 Partial access
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.02 Exceptions
      2.03.02.01 Principles
        2.03.02.01.02 Obligation to state reasons
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.05 Legal acts of the European Union
    2.05.06 Statement of reasons


Citations of case-law or legislation

References in grounds of judgment

Operative part

Information not available

Opinion

Information not available


Dates

Date of the lodging of the application initiating proceedings

  • 31/12/2009

Date of the Opinion

Information not available

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

04/05/2012


References

Publication in the Official Journal

Application: OJ C 80 from 27.03.2010, p.32

Judgment: OJ C 184 from 23.06.2012, p.9

Name of the parties

In 't Veld v Council

Notes on Academic Writings

  1. Gazin, Fabienne: Accès aux documents et protection des relations internationales, Europe 2012 Mai Comm. nº 7 p.267 (FR)
  2. Flavier, Hugo: Accès aux documents et démocratisation de l'action extérieure de l'Union européenne, Revue des affaires européennes 2012 p.417-425 (FR)
  3. Peraldi-Leneuf, Fabienne: Accès aux documents, Europe 2018 avril nº 4 p.15-17 (FR)



Procedural Analysis Information

Source of the question referred for a preliminary ruling

Information not available

Subject-matter

  • Provisions governing the institutions
  • - Access to documents
  • - Acts of the institutions

Provisions of national law referred to

Information not available

Provisions of international law referred to

Information not available

Procedure and result

  • Actions for annulment : application granted
  • Actions for annulment : dismissal on substantive grounds

Formation of the Court

cinquième chambre (Tribunal)

Judge-Rapporteur

Vadapalas

Advocate General

Information not available

Language(s) of the Case

  • English

Language(s) of the Opinion

    Information not available