15 media organizations urge European Commission to ensure journalists' access to documents amid ombudsman's Gaza inquiry

Open letter amid the ombudsman's inquiry

A group of 15 media outlets, journalists' associations and press freedom organizations addressed an open letter on Wednesday to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling for improved journalists' access to public documents. The appeal was published by the Anadolu agency. The letter's authors described the situation as a 'silent crisis' that hinders journalists from obtaining the information needed to cover matters of public importance.

The crux of the dispute: documents on projects in Gaza

The appeal was prompted by an inquiry that European Ombudsman Teresa Anjinho opened last week following a complaint by EUobserver over the European Commission's refusal to disclose 17 documents on EU-funded infrastructure projects in the Gaza Strip. EUobserver requested the documents in February to investigate the extent to which Israeli strikes had destroyed infrastructure financed by the EU in the Palestinian territory. The Commission declined to publish the materials, saying there was no overriding public interest in disclosure; the outlet's subsequent appeal went unanswered. As a first step in the inquiry, Anjinho asked the Commission to respond to the appeal no later than 4 November; if the response is unsatisfactory, she will examine the documents herself.

What the signatories demand

The signatories argue that journalists regularly face lengthy delays in obtaining documents, unjustified refusals and extensive redactions that make released materials of little substance; according to them, the Commission also in a number of cases fails to retain and archive important documents. The letter says the restrictions have hampered coverage of topics of major public interest, including EU member states' spending of billions of euros from post-COVID recovery funds and cooperation with Israel on weapons research. 'Across Europe, public debate is being harmed. Stories that should be published are not being published. Citizens cannot make important political judgments at critical moments,' Anadolu quotes the letter as saying. The organizations called on the Commission to rescind its internal rules of procedure of December 2024, which, they claim, have made access to documents more difficult, to ensure strict compliance with the EU regulation on access to documents, and to adopt a new action plan to improve journalists' access to information — including implementing the European Ombudsman's recommendations, full compliance with European Court of Justice rulings, and stronger internal procedures for registering and archiving documents. 'The European Commission's reputation as a defender of the EU's democratic values is at stake. At a time when democratic norms are under attack around the world, now is the moment to stand up for these values,' the letter warns. Among the signatories are the Committee to Protect Journalists, EUobserver, the European Federation of Journalists, Follow the Money, Forbidden Stories, the International Federation of Journalists, the International Press Institute, Investigate Europe and PEN International.