16 press organizations call on the European Commission to remove obstacles to journalists’ access to documents

Sixteen publications, journalists’ associations and press freedom organizations have asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to remove the obstacles hindering journalists’ access to the institution’s documents. In an open letter dated October 28, 2026, the coalition complains of excessive delays, refusals it considers unjustified, and documents from which passages are removed so extensively that they lose their usefulness for investigations. The signatories call for the withdrawal of internal rules adopted in December 2024, the periodic publication of statistics on journalists’ requests, and a complete electronic register allowing documents to be identified.

In brief

16 organizations addressed an open letter dated October 28, 2026, to Ursula von der Leyen, complaining about delays, refusals and the excessive removal of information from documents requested by journalists.

The coalition calls for the withdrawal of the internal rules from December 2024, which it considers restrictive, and for the periodic publication of statistics on journalists’ requests and waiting times.

The signatories call for a complete electronic register containing legislative, preparatory and already disclosed documents, accompanied by metadata and available in formats that allow automated processing.

The organizations call for an action plan to implement the judgments of the EU courts and the Ombudsman’s recommendations, as well as for improved document registration and archiving.

European rules generally provide for 15 working days for each of the two stages of a request, with the possibility of an exceptional extension of another 15 days. Access remains subject to legal exceptions.

A separate Ombudsman inquiry, opened on October 14, concerns documents about EU-funded infrastructure in Gaza. The procedure is ongoing, with no final finding in this case.

The signatories include the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the international and European federations of journalists, EUobserver, Follow the Money, Investigate Europe, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. Article 19, Forbidden Stories, Free Press Unlimited, IFEX, Index on Censorship, International Press Institute, Netzwerk Recherche and PEN International have also joined the initiative. The organizations maintain that effective access to documents is indispensable for scrutinizing the decisions and spending of European institutions.

The coalition describes difficulties arising at several stages of documentation: from identifying and preserving institutional correspondence to processing requests and justifying the information removed from the documents provided. In the signatories’ view, these practices reduce the press’s ability to inform the public in a timely manner. The criticisms are made by the signatory organizations; the letter does not, in itself, constitute a legal finding concerning each access refusal.

One specific request concerns the regular publication of data on journalists’ requests, including the waiting time until a response. Another concerns a complete electronic register containing legislative and preparatory documents, as well as documents already disclosed following access requests. The signatories request metadata and formats that would allow the information to be processed automatically, so that documents can be found and reused more easily.

The organizations also call for the withdrawal of the changes made to the Commission’s internal rules in December 2024, which they consider restrictive. They call for the strict application of European rules on access to documents and for support for the European Ombudsman’s assessments regarding the actual harm invoked by the Commission to justify nondisclosure. In this context, the coalition emphasizes the necessity and proportionality of the restrictions.

According to the letter, a new action plan should ensure compliance with the judgments of the EU courts and implementation of the Ombudsman’s recommendations concerning delays. The signatories also call for improved document registration and archiving, clearer instructions for staff and sufficient administrative resources to process requests. What is at stake is not only the response to a particular request, but also the existence of records that would allow the institution’s activities to be subsequently scrutinized.

The report published by EUobserver together with Investigate Europe and Follow the Money illustrates what is at stake through investigations into European recovery funds and cooperation with Israel in military research. These examples appear in the journalistic report, not in the coalition’s letter. According to the same publication, Tom Gibson, a CPJ representative and one of the initiative’s founders, requested a meeting with the Commission President’s cabinet to discuss the issues raised.

The main framework for public access to documents of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission is Regulation No 1049/2001. It generally provides for a response within 15 working days of the registration of the request. In exceptional situations, the deadline may be extended by another 15 working days, provided that the applicant is informed in advance and given a detailed explanation of the reasons. Access may be refused in whole or in part under the exceptions provided for in the regulation, including to protect privacy or certain public or commercial interests.

After a refusal, the applicant may request a review of the decision through a confirmatory application, submitted within 15 working days of receiving the response. A new period of 15 working days from registration applies to this stage, with the same possibility of an exceptional extension. A confirmed refusal or failure to respond within the deadline opens, under the law, the possibility of bringing an action before the EU courts or lodging a complaint with the Ombudsman.

The issue of delays has already been the subject of an institutional finding. In a 2023 special report, the European Ombudsman classified the Commission’s systemic and significant delays in processing confirmatory applications as maladministration. The report analyzed data and practices predating the current letter, while the Commission had cited the increasing volume and complexity of requests. The coalition is now calling for the recommendations made in that inquiry to be implemented.

Separately, on October 14, 2026, the Ombudsman opened an inquiry into how the Commission handled a request for access to documents concerning EU-funded infrastructure projects in the Gaza Strip. According to EUobserver, the publication’s complaint concerns 17 documents refused by the Commission and the lack of a response to the administrative appeal. The publication reports that the Ombudsman requested a response by November 4. The official procedure is still ongoing: its opening does not mean that maladministration has already been established or that publication of the documents has been ordered.

Through the letter addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, the organizations are calling for a commitment from the Commission’s leadership to faster and more predictable access to information. The requests link the transparency of individual responses to the way the institution registers, preserves and makes its documents identifiable—conditions on which the possibility of effective public oversight depends.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/news/16-organizatii-de-presa-cer-comisiei-europene-sa-elimine-obstacolele-din-calea-accesului-jurnalistilor-la-documente