Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 4 September 2018

ClientEarth v European Commission

Appeal — Access to documents of the EU institutions — Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 — Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 — Impact assessment report, draft impact assessment report and opinion of the Impact Assessment Board — Legislative initiatives in respect of environmental matters — Refusal to grant access — Disclosure of the documents requested in the course of the proceedings — Continuing interest in bringing proceedings — Exception relating to the protection of the ongoing decision-making process of an EU institution — General presumption

Case C-57/16 P



Top of the page Documents in the Case
Document Date Name of the parties Subject-matter Curia EUR-Lex Autres Liens
Judgment
ECLI:EU:C:2018:660		 04/09/2018 ClientEarth v Commission
Provisions governing the institutions
- Access to documents
  • Provisions governing the institutions
  • - Access to documents
EUR-Lex text EUR-Lex bilingual text
Judgment (Summary)
ECLI:EU:C:2018:660		 04/09/2018 ClientEarth v Commission
Provisions governing the institutions
- Access to documents
  • Provisions governing the institutions
  • - Access to documents
EUR-Lex text EUR-Lex bilingual text
Application (OJ)
13/05/2016 ClientEarth v Commission
Provisions governing the institutions
- Access to documents
  • Provisions governing the institutions
  • - Access to documents
View pdf documents
Opinion
ECLI:EU:C:2017:909		 28/11/2017 ClientEarth v Commission
Provisions governing the institutions
- Access to documents
  • Provisions governing the institutions
  • - Access to documents
EUR-Lex text EUR-Lex bilingual text
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

Information not available

Systematic classification scheme

1.
-
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.06 Contentious procedure
      2.03.06.01 Admissibility and jurisdiction
        2.03.06.01.01 Interest in bringing proceedings
-
3 Legal proceedings
  3.02 Actions for annulment
    3.02.03 Applications by natural or legal persons
      3.02.03.01 Interest in bringing proceedings
-
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.06 Contentious procedure
      2.03.06.01 Admissibility and jurisdiction
        2.03.06.01.01 Interest in bringing proceedings
-
3 Legal proceedings
  3.10 Appeals
    3.10.02 Jurisdiction over the appeal
-
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.02 Exceptions
      2.03.02.01 Principles
        2.03.02.01.01 Strict interpretation and application
-
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
          2.03.02.01.03.02 Exceptions to the obligation to carry out a concrete, individual examination
            2.03.02.01.03.02.02 General presumptions of confidentiality by reference to categories of documents
-
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.04 Registers of documents and direct access in electronic form or through the register
-
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.03 Right of public access to documents
    2.03.01 Scope
      2.03.01.04 Relationship with specific rights of access
        2.03.01.04.01 Right of access to environmental information
-
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
          2.03.02.01.03.02 Exceptions to the obligation to carry out a concrete, individual examination
            2.03.02.01.03.02.02 General presumptions of confidentiality by reference to categories of documents
-
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
        2.03.02.03.06 Protection of the decision-making process
          2.03.02.03.06.01 Ongoing procedure
-
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
        2.03.02.03.06 Protection of the decision-making process
          2.03.02.03.06.00 General


Citations of case-law or legislation

References in grounds of judgment

Operative part

Opinion


Dates

Date of the lodging of the application initiating proceedings

  • 30/01/2016

Date of the Opinion

  • 28/11/2017

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

04/09/2018


References

Publication in the Official Journal

Judgment: OJ C 399 from 05.11.2018, p.2

Application: OJ C 191 from 30.05.2016, p.5

Name of the parties

ClientEarth v Commission

Notes on Academic Writings

  1. Daniel, Élise: La Cour de justice, contrairement au Tribunal, ne reconnaît pas l'existence d'une présomption générale de confidentialité au bénéfice des analyses d'impact., Europe 2018 Mois Comm. nº 11 p.15-16 (FR)
  2. Peeters, Marjan: Windpark Weijerswold; doeltreffende inspraak?, Milieu en recht 2019 n°1 p.40-42 (NL)
  3. Bijl LLM, Y.C.: De 'space to think' in de Eurowob na De capitani en ClientEarth, Nederlands tijdschrift voor Europees recht 2019 p.1-7 (NL)
  4. Wyatt, Daniel: Is the Commission a "lawmaker" ? On the right of initiative, institutional transparency and public participation in decision-making : ClientEarth, Common Market Law Review 2019 VOL.56 N°3 p.825-841 (EN)
  5. Thieffry, Patrick: X. Environnement - Cour de justice, gde ch., 4 septembre 2018, ClientEarth c/ Commission, aff. C-57/16 P, ECLI:EU:C:2018:660, Jurisprudence de la CJUE 2018. Décisions et commentaires (Ed. Bruylant - Bruxelles) 2019, p. 457-460 (FR)
  6. Petrucci, Carlo: Unequal representation of stakeholders in the Commission’s impact assessment process and the protection of the decision-making process : C-57/16P, Revue européenne de droit public / European Review of Public Law / Europäische Zeitschrift des öffentlichen Rechts 2021 p. 1161-1196 (EN)



Procedural Analysis Information

Source of the question referred for a preliminary ruling

Information not available

Subject-matter

  • Provisions governing the institutions
  • - Access to documents

Provisions of national law referred to

Information not available

Provisions of international law referred to

Information not available

Procedure and result

  • Actions for annulment
  • Appeals : application granted

Formation of the Court

Information not available

Judge-Rapporteur

Tizzano

Advocate General

Information not available

Language(s) of the Case

  • English

Language(s) of the Opinion

    Information not available