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Document 62015TJ0451

    Judgment of the General Court (Sixth Chamber) of 7 September 2017.
    AlzChem AG v European Commission.
    Access to documents — Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 — Documents relating to a procedure for reviewing State aid — Refusal to grant access — Exception relating to the protection of the purpose of inspections, investigations and audits — Obligation to carry out a specific and individual examination — Overriding public interest.
    Case T-451/15.

    Court reports – general

    Judgment of the General Court (Sixth Chamber) of 7 September 2017 — AlzChem v Commission

    (Case T‑451/15)

    (Access to documents — Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 — Documents relating to a procedure for reviewing State aid — Refusal to grant access — Exception relating to the protection of the purpose of inspections, investigations and audits — Obligation to carry out a specific and individual examination — Overriding public interest)

    1. 

    EU institutions — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Refusal to grant access — Possibility of relying on general presumptions applicable to certain categories of documents — Purpose

    (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4)

    (see paras 20, 21)

    2. 

    EU institutions — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Protection of the purpose of inspections, investigations and audits — Scope — Application to administrative files relating to procedures for reviewing State aid — General presumption that the exception applies to the right of access to all the documents on the administrative file — Scope — Quantitative criterion — Exclusion — Qualitative criterion — Document relative to the procedure for reviewing a state aid — Included

    (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4)

    (see paras 22, 23, 25, 27, 28)

    3. 

    EU institutions — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Protection of the purpose of inspections, investigations and audits — Invocation of a general presumption that the exception applies to the documents requested — Rebuttable

    (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(2))

    (see paras 31, 32)

    4. 

    EU institutions — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Protection of the purpose of inspections, investigations and audits — Scope — Application to administrative files relating to procedures for reviewing State aid — General presumption that the exception applies to the right of access to all the documents on the administrative file — Application for access formulated during the court proceedings concerning the decision on the substance — Admissibility of the refusal

    (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(2), third indent)

    (see paras 41, 42, 50)

    5. 

    EU institutions — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Protection of the purpose of inspections, investigations and audits — Scope — Application to administrative files relating to procedures for reviewing State aid

    (Art. 108 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(2), third indent; Council Regulation No 659/1999, Art. 20)

    (see paras 54-57)

    6. 

    EU institutions — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Protection of the purpose of inspections, investigations and audits — Overriding public interest justifying the disclosure of documents — Concept — Obligation on the institution or body to balance the interests at stake

    (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, second recital and Art. 4(2), third indent)

    (see paras 65, 66)

    7. 

    EU institutions — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Overriding public interest justifying the disclosure of documents — Concept — Subjective interest of the person concerned in defending himself — Exclusion

    (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(2))

    (see paras 71-73)

    8. 

    EU institutions — Right of public access to documents — Regulation No 1049/2001 — Exceptions to the right of access to documents — Protection of the purpose of inspections, investigations and audits — Invocation of a general presumption that the exception applies to the documents requested — Effects of applying the presumption — Partial disclosue of the content — Exclusion

    (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1049/2001, Art. 4(2))

    (see paras 93, 94)

    Re:

    ACTION under Article 263 TFEU seeking annulment of the Commission decision of 26 May 2015 refusing to grant the applicant access to documents relating to a procedure for reviewing State aid.

    Operative part

    The Court:

    1. 

    Dismisses the action;

    2. 

    Orders AlzChem AG to pay the costs.

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