-    The handbook 2020 of operation Themis -    The operational plan 2020 of operation Themis Please be informed that access to the documents must be refused as, despite this operation having been concluded, the evaluation phase is currently ongoing. Findings of evaluations flow into the adjustment of currently ongoing joint operations and planned for the near future. Thus, granting access to the Operational Plan and all annexes at this stage would hamper its evaluation and ultimately jeopardize the European Union’s and Member State’s endeavours to counter and prevent cross-border crime and unauthorized border crossings. This would benefit criminal networks, enabling them to change their modus operandi and consequently result in hampering the course of ongoing and future similar operations, which would ultimately put the life of migrants in danger. Consequently, releasing these documents at this stage would undermine the protection of the public interest as regards public security as laid down in Article 4(1)(a) first indent of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001.1 A partial release of these document(s) could not be undertaken, as their redaction would be disproportional in relation to the parts that are eligible for disclosure, simultaneously undermining the principle of sound administration. More specifically, the administrative burden necessary to identify and redact the releasable materials would be disproportionate to the public interest in the disclosure exercise itself, while the released documents would not convey any informative value due to their significantly reduced form. Consequently, the partial disclosure of the document(s) at issue must be refused owing to the particular circumstances of the present case. 1 Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and COMMISSION documents (OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43). Frontex - European Border and Coast Guard Agency www.frontex.europa.eu | Pl. Europejski 6, 00-844 Warsaw, Poland | Tel. +48 22 205 95 00 | Fax +48 22 205 95 01

Pursuant to Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, within 15 working days of the receipt of this letter, you may submit a confirmatory application to Frontex to reconsider its position. Based on Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, Frontex will reply to you within 15 working days from the registration of such application. You can submit your confirmatory application by post or electronically. Frontex - European Border and Coast Guard Agency www.frontex.europa.eu | Pl. Europejski 6, 00-844 Warsaw, Poland | Tel. +48 22 205 95 00 | Fax +48 22 205 95 01