Brussels, 06/02/2014 (Agence Europe) -European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly has commended the European Commission for publishing 140 documents concerning Greece's entry into the eurozone in 2001. This follows a complaint from a German journalist who had previously only been given access to some of the documents.
O'Reilly says that especially in times of crisis, it is crucial for the European public to understand how important decisions affecting their lives take place. In November 2011, a German journalist asked the Commission for access to documents drafted between January 1999 and June 2000 concerning Greece's entry into the eurozone. As he got only very limited access to some of the requested documents and did not obtain any further feedback, he turned to the Ombudsman in April 2012. The Commission explained that its delay was due to the complexity of the request and stressed that some of the relevant documents dated back to a period when electronic registering did not yet exist. (EL/transl.fl)