CELEX: C1995/174/14
Language: en
Date: 1995-07-08 00:00:00
Title: Action brought on 18 April 1995 by WWF UK (World Wide Fund for Nature) against the Commission of the European Communities (Case T-105/95)

No C 174/8         | EN                  Official Journal of the European Communities                                        8 . 7 . 95
1 . the application for interim measures is dismissed;                  undermine the objectives of the Community's policy on
                                                                        improved access to Community documents . Thus, if the
2.  the costs are reserved.
                                                                        Commission invokes an exception to the general access
                                                                        to its documents , it must establish the ' imperative
                                                                        reasons ' for which the conditions laid down in the
                                                                        exception clause are fulfilled, and deal with the
                                                                        particularities of the case and with the contents of the
                                                                        documents to which access is required .
                                                                        The applicant states that the Commission invoked two
Action brought on 18 April 1995 by WWF UK (World Wide                   reasons for its refusal to grant access to the documents in
Fund for Nature ) against the Commission of the European                question : its interest in the confidentiality of its
                         Communities
                                                                        proceedings and the protection of the public interest, in
                      ( Case T-105/95 )                                 particular, the ability of the Commission to conduct
                        ( 95/C 174/ 14 )                                infringement proceedings . However, the Commission
                                                                        did not provide any ' imperative reasons ' for which the
                                                                        disclosure of the documents in question would affect the
              (Language of the case: English)                           protection of its interest in the confidentiality of its
                                                                        proceedings ; and , as regards the second reason, the
An action against the Commission of the European                        Commission did not deal with the particularities of the
Communities was brought before the Court of First                       case : its reasoning consists entirely of general statements
Instance of the European Communities on 1 8 April 1995 by               which, if correct, would apply to all infringement
WWF UK ( World Wide Fund for Nature ), represented by Dr                proceedings . The applicant maintains therefore that the
Georg M. Berrisch, with an address for service in                       Commission wrongly invoked the exception clause in
Luxembourg at the Chambers of Turk et Prum, Avenue                      the Code of conduct and that, accordingly, the contested
Guillaume 13 B, L-1651 Luxembourg.                                      decision constitutes the most extensive breach possible
                                                                        for the applicant's right of access to Commission
                                                                        documents .
The applicant claims that the Court should :
                                                                    2 . Insufficient reasoning — Infringement of Article 190 of
— annul the decision of the European Commission                         the EC Treaty
    contained in a letter of 2 February 1995 from the
    Secretary-General of the European Communities to
    counsel for the applicant by which the Secretary-General            The applicant states that Article 190 requires that the
    confirmed the refusal of the Directors-General of DG XI             Community institutions must provide reasoning for
    and DG XVI to grant the applicant access to                         their decisions . The main purpose of this provision is to
    Commission documents relating to the examination of                 make judicial review of such decisions possible . In this
    the Mullaghmore project, and in particular to the                   respect, the duty to provide sufficient reasoning serves to
    examination of whether structural funds may be used                 protect the rights of defence of those concerned by the
                                                                        decision .
    for the project, and
— order the Commission to pay the costs of these                        The applicant emphasizes that the reasoning of the
    proceedings .                                                       contested decision does not deal with the particularities
                                                                        of the case . It consists only of broad statements and it
                                                                        does not suffice to justify the conclusion that the
Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support:                     Commission was entitled to refuse to make public the
                                                                        documents in question .
The applicant submits that the contested decision must be
annulled for two reasons :
1 . Violation of the ' Code of conduct concerning public
    access to Commission and Council documents ' ( the
    ' Code of conduct') and of Decision 94/90/ECSC , EC,
    Euratom of 8 February 1994 on public access to                  Action brought on 28 April 1995 by X against the
    Commission documents ( the 'adopting Decision ').                       Commission of the European Communities
                                                                                            ( Case T-109/95 )
    The applicant maintains that the Code of conduct and
    the adopting Decision are legally binding on the                                          ( 95/C 174/ 15
    Commission and that they impose upon it an obligation
    to grant, to the widest extent possible, access to its                           (Language of the case: English)
    documents . This obligation is the corollary of a right
    enjoyed by natural and legal persons in the Community.
    The exception clause in the Code of conduct must be             An action against the Commission of the European
    interpreted strictly and its application may not                Communities was brought before the Court of First