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The EU Commission's reluctance to uphold its legal obligations makes a mockery of its proposed Media Freedom Act, and claims to be on a mission to protect press freedom (Photo: Unesco)

How do you make embarrassing EU documents 'disappear'?

The question has bugged EU officials for years but under commission president Ursula von der Leyen's administration, it finally appears to have been answered and ... (spoiler alert!) ... the trick relies on sleight of hand.

Last week, the EU Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly censured the commission for doing it again — with a maladministration ruling in response to a Freedom of Information request I made for three emails in March 2022.

The commission's new magic formula is simple. You de...

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Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Author Bio

Arthur Neslen writes about the environment for the Guardian, Open Democracy, Equal Times and others. He was formerly the Guardian's European environment correspondent.

The EU Commission's reluctance to uphold its legal obligations makes a mockery of its proposed Media Freedom Act, and claims to be on a mission to protect press freedom (Photo: Unesco)

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Author Bio

Arthur Neslen writes about the environment for the Guardian, Open Democracy, Equal Times and others. He was formerly the Guardian's European environment correspondent.

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