Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber) of 18 September 2015

EU institutionsRight of public access to documentsRegulation No 1049/2001Exceptions to the right of access to documentsStrict interpretation and adoptionObligation to make a specific and individual examination for documents covered by an exceptionScope concerning documents underlying the legislative process (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, eleventh recital and Art. 4(2) and (3)) (see paras 17-21, 58)

EU institutionsRight of public access to documentsRegulation No 1049/2001Exceptions to the right of access to documentsProtection of legal adviceObligation on the institution to examine the nature of the measure as legal advice and the actual possibility of the protection of legal advice being undermined, and to verify the absence of a higher public interest justifying disclosure (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(2), second indent) (see paras 24, 25)

EU institutionsRight of public access to documentsRegulation No 1049/2001Exceptions to the right of access to documentsProtection of legal adviceOverriding public interest justifying the disclosure of documentsConceptRequirement that the institution should weigh the opposing interestsDisclosure of legal opinions concerning legislative processesObligation on the institution to state in detail its reasons for any decision refusing access (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(2), second indent) (see paras 26, 27)

EU institutionsRight of public access to documentsRegulation No 1049/2001Exceptions to the right of access to documentsProtection of legal adviceOverriding public interest justifying the disclosure of documentsConceptRisk of an institution’s capacity to defend its position in legal proceedings being underminedExclusion (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(2), second indent) (see para. 31)

EU institutionsRight of public access to documentsRegulation No 1049/2001Exceptions to the right of access to documentsProtection of legal adviceConceptScopeDisclosure of legal opinions concerning legislative processesNo general need for confidentiality (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(2), second indent) (see paras 35, 36, 46, 71)

EU institutionsRight of public access to documentsRegulation No 1049/2001Exceptions to the right of access to documentsProtection of the decision-making processConditionsConcrete, actual and serious detriment to that process (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(3)) (see para. 59)

Re:

APPLICATION for annulment of the Council decision of 13 May 2013 refusing full access to document No 12979/12 of 27 July 2012 containing an opinion of the Council’s Legal Service relating to the proposals for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on criminal sanctions for insider dealing and market manipulation and a Regulation on insider dealing and market manipulation and other instruments regarding the harmonisation of administrative sanctions in the framework of financial services.

Operative part

The Court:

Annuls the decision of the Council of the European Union of 13 May 2013 denying full access to document No 12979/12 of 27 July 2012 containing an opinion of the Council’s legal service relating to the proposals for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on criminal sanctions for insider dealing and market manipulation and a Regulation on insider dealing and market manipulation and other instruments regarding the harmonisation of administrative sanctions in the framework of financial services, and the letter of the Council of 23 July 2013;

Orders the Council to bear its own costs and those incurred by Mr Samuli Miettinen;

Orders the Kingdom of Sweden and the Republic of Estonia to bear their own costs.