Porsche and the European Commission: ongoing secrecy condemned15 March 2010
Our battle with Porsche and the European Commission has taken a dramatic new turn.
Three years ago Friends of the Earth Europe asked the Commission asking for copies of letters between them and Porsche.
The letters were about the regulation of climate change emissions from cars.
When the Commission refused to release three letters from Porsche, our Rights & Justice Centre helped Friends of the Earth Europe to make a formal complaint to the European Ombudsman.
In October 2008 the ombudsman ruled in our favour and ordered the Commission to publish the letters.
However, the Commission failed to follow the Ombudsman's ruling and refused to release the documents.
The Ombudsman has now published a Special Report condemning the Commission and calling on the European Parliament to intervene on his behalf.
The report is extremely strongly worded and represents a significant embarrassment to the Commission.
It concludes that the Commission's actions have:
Phil Michaels, Head of Legal at Friends of the Earth said:
This case raises real concerns about the transparency of the European Commission and its respect of the Ombudsman system. By ignoring the Ombudsman's rulings they are bringing the whole system into disrepute. We welcome the strong action that the Ombudsman has taken.
