By Toby McIntosh
The European Investment Bank is well past the target date for deciding what to disclose of the minutes of a meeting about the Global Emerging Markets (GEMs) Risk Database.
A 90 day deadline was set by the EIB Complaints Mechanisms (EIB-CM) in an April 25, 2025, decision. It was critical of the EIB for rejecting EYE’s request for the minutes of a 2023 meeting of the governing body that oversees GEMs. The Complaints Mechanism handles appeals concerning the implementation of the EIB’s transparency policy.
The EIB-CM concluded that the EIB had failed to justify its decision to completely withhold the minutes, misapplied several exemptions in the transparency policy and not considered the option of releasing portions of the document. (See EYE article, May 12, 2025.)
The EIB was asked to respond in 90 days.
It’s now been 146 days, using a fun, useful website called howlongago.com.
EYE first requested the minutes on Dec. 18, 2023 (one year, eight months and 30 days ago). A total denial arrived on Jan. 26, 2024.
EYE on April 29, 2024 appealed through the Complaints Mechanisms, which issued its Conclusions Report almost a year later, on April 25, 2025.
The EIB-CM recommended “that the EIB re-assess, based on the specific content of the document at issue, the possibility of granting full or partial access to the document at issue.” It also said, “The EIB’s assessment outcome should be shared in correspondence with the complainant and should be adequately justified.”
The last line of the decision says, “The EIB-CM expects the EIB to implement its recommendation within three months following issuance of this Conclusions Report.” Which would be about July 23, 2025.
The document at issue, the GEMs Consortium – General Assembly Annual Meeting Executive Summary and Minutes, is only 16 pages long, according to the Conclusions Report.
But on Aug. 8, the EIB Transparency and Civil Society Team wrote EYE to say there would be a delay.
This is to inform you that the EIB is still working on the recommendation contained in the EIB Complaints Mechanism (EIB-CM) Conclusions Report regarding your complaint (SG/A/2024/01).
We apologise for this delay which is due to the complexity of the case and the absence of some of the EIB services concerned during this time of the year. The Bank will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible after the summer break.
We thank you in advance for your understanding.
“For the record,” EYE replied, “I don’t think this is so complex that it couldn’t have been completed in 90 days.”
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