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DRAFT REPORT (2025/2137(INI))

On public access to documents – report covering the years 2022 - 2024

LIBE-PR-778284

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs · Rapporteur: Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová

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Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

This draft report assesses public access to EU documents in 2022-2024, noting progress and shortcomings, and makes recommendations to improve transparency. It calls for updated rules to make disclosure the rule, address delays and over-classification, and ensure proactive publication.

Committee position. The rapporteur proposes a resolution that reaffirms access to documents as a fundamental right, assesses recent developments, and makes recommendations to improve transparency, including addressing delays, over-classification, and the need for updated legislation.

Key points

  1. Notes that in 2024 the Commission received 6 938 initial requests and 641 confirmatory applications, a 7 % increase from 2023.
  2. Highlights that Parliament's register contained 918 803 references by end 2024, with a 91 % positive response rate.
  3. Calls for partial disclosure where feasible, given the public interest in transparency.
  4. Expresses concern over over-classification and reiterates the call for binding rules on classification and declassification.
  5. Deplores lack of follow-up by Commission and Council on previous recommendations.
  6. Calls on the Commission to base legislative proposals on verifiable data and ensure transparency in stakeholder selection.
  7. Regrets persistent transparency shortcomings in the Council, including refusal of access to trilogue documents.
  8. Welcomes the CJEU judgment in Stevi and The New York Times v Commission but regrets it did not reinterpret the regulation for modern communications.
  9. Calls on the Commission to review its revised internal rules on access to documents to ensure compatibility with EU law and highest transparency.
  10. Regrets withdrawal of 2008 and 2011 proposals and calls for a new proposal narrowing exceptions and setting a new openness standard.
  11. Recommends addressing systemic delays in confirmatory applications by improving procedures, resources, and communication.
  12. Stresses that transparency must be the rule, exceptions strictly interpreted, and citizens must be able to understand and participate in the legislative process.

Who is affected

  • EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies, particularly the Commission and Council, face calls for greater transparency and procedural improvements.
  • Citizens and journalists benefit from reinforced rights to access documents and participate in EU decision-making.

Figures and deadlines

  • 6 938 initial requests and 641 confirmatory applications in 2024, a 7 % increase from 2023.
  • 918 803 references in Parliament's register by 31 December 2024, up from 898 267 at end of 2023.
  • 91 % positive response rate, with applications handled within approximately nine working days on average.

Legal basis: Articles 1, 9, 10, 11 and 16 TEU; Article 15 TFEU; Articles 41 and 42 of the Charter