Can EU institutions charge fees?

No, they cannot. Requesting documents from EU institutions is free of charge.

Occasionally, some EU institutions like border police agency Frontex have asked for a fee in order to release the documents you have requested. This is illegal, and here is how you can deal with it.

The only thing that they can charge you for is the costs of producing and sending copies. The relevant legislation says:

“This charge shall not exceed the real cost of producing and sending the copies. Consultation on the spot, copies of less than 20 A4 pages and direct access in electronic form or through the register shall be free of charge.”

So, in your request, you can always state your preference for electronic communication via mail, which then would leave no room for them to charge you.