"Comments by ECAS on the Commission’s Draft Regulation (Com(2000)30 final) on Public Access to Documents"

In this memorandum, we comment on the Commission’s draft regulation (Com(2000)30 final) on public access to documents under article 255 of the Amsterdam Treaty, which provides that: 1. Any citizen of the Union, and any natural or legal person residing or having its registered office in a Member State, shall have a right of access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents, subject to the principles and the conditions to be defined in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3. 2. General principles and limits on grounds of public or private interest governing this right of access to documents shall be determined by the Council, acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 251 within two years of the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam. 3. Each institution referred to above shall elaborate in its own Rules of Procedure specific provisions regarding access to its document