Protection of an Individual's Information Interest in the Light of Regulation No. 1049/2001 on Public Access to Documents of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission

Abstract

The right to information, guaranteed by various legal acts, includes the right to access the content of documentation held by public entities. At the EU level, this right is regulated, inter alia, by Regulation (EU) No. 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council, dated 30 May 2001, regarding public access to documents of the European Parliament, the Council, and the Commission. The act outlines various measures and mechanisms that can be assumed to constitute instruments for protecting an individual's information interest. This article provides an analysis of the relevant provisions, which regulate these instruments. The in-depth characterization aims to enable a stance on the correctness of the protective function attributed to access to EU documentation itself, as well as to its constituent elements.