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23 Sep 2024

Finalists Announced for the Inaugural Access Info Impact Award

2024-09-24T09:24:58+02:00

Madrid 23 September 2024 – Access Info is proud to announce the three finalists for the first-ever Access Info Impact Award. The Access Info Impact Award aims to honour individuals and organisations that have effectively used their right to information to advance human rights, environmental protection, democracy, or anti-corruption efforts. After opening nominations last month, the award received 21 high-calibre entries from civil society organisations, journalists, academics, and citizens across Europe. A distinguished Evaluation Committee has carefully reviewed all the nominations and shortlisted the following three outstanding candidates: Lighthouse Reports - Uncovering discrimination in algorithmic decision-making The investigative series

Finalists Announced for the Inaugural Access Info Impact Award2024-09-24T09:24:58+02:00
12 Aug 2024

Call for nominations for the Access Info Impact Award

2024-09-24T09:28:57+02:00

Madrid, 12 August 2024 – Access Info Europe today announces the launch of the Access Info Impact Award which celebrates those who have used their right to information to have a positive impact on society.   The Access Info Impact Award recognises those who have significantly leveraged their right to information to advance human rights, environmental protection, democracy, and/or anti-corruption efforts.  By celebrating exemplary achievements of civil society advocates, campaigners, journalists, academics and practitioners across Europe, the award aims to highlight the importance of the right to information and inspire others to utilise this powerful tool. Through this award,

Call for nominations for the Access Info Impact Award2024-09-24T09:28:57+02:00
28 Nov 2022

Global Civil Society Organisations Concerned About European Court Ruling on Beneficial Ownership Transparency

2022-11-30T15:11:57+01:00

As European Union and African Union representatives meet in Brussels on Monday 28 November 2022 to review progress following the EU-AU Summit in February, 34 African and European civil society organisations have raised concerns about threats to ground-breaking EU transparency measures, which could undermine all that has been put in place to prevent and combat the problem of illicit financial flows out of Africa. The 34 organisations state: “Illicit financial flows rob African nations of almost US$89 billion each year. Anonymous companies are often used as the get-away vehicles of the corrupt, helping syphon these funds out of Africa

Global Civil Society Organisations Concerned About European Court Ruling on Beneficial Ownership Transparency2022-11-30T15:11:57+01:00
28 Sep 2022

Right to Know Day 2022: The EU should make this a right for all citizens!

2022-09-28T15:29:33+02:00

28 September 2022 - As we celebrate the International Day for Universal Access to Information, Access Info calls on European Union bodies to fully respect the right to EU documents and ensure that it can be enjoyed by all in practice. Releasing the key findings of a survey of the websites of 54 EU bodies, Access Info has identified a string of practical obstacles that stand between European citizens and their right to know, including: Languages – a right for English speakers only: While nearly three-quarters of EU websites explain the right of access to documents (70%), the majority

Right to Know Day 2022: The EU should make this a right for all citizens!2022-09-28T15:29:33+02:00
11 Mar 2022

Is the Guardian of the Treaties Doing Enough for EU Transparency? MEPs don’t seem to think so!

2022-03-11T12:52:13+01:00

Madrid, 11 March 2022 – On 10 March 2022, following the scandal about the Commission refusing access to President Ursula von der Leyen’s text messages, the European Parliament held a plenary session to discuss application of the EU’s access to documents rules, known as Regulation 1049/2001. Yet, the Commission President, much like her text message conversation with the CEO of Pfizer, was nowhere to be found. Rachel Hanna, Legal Researcher at Access Info reports. The Commission’s decision to refuse an access to documents request regarding text messages exchanged between President Ursula von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer on

Is the Guardian of the Treaties Doing Enough for EU Transparency? MEPs don’t seem to think so!2022-03-11T12:52:13+01:00
9 Mar 2022

Transparency to Track Hidden Wealth

2023-07-27T15:43:13+02:00

9 March 2022 - As the Russian onslaught on Ukraine continues, 127 leading transparency, anti-corruption, journalist and open data organisations today issued a statement calling on European Union Institutions and Member States to act urgently to open company and beneficial ownership registers so as to facilitate tracking the hidden wealth of Russian oligarchs and to ensure effective sanctions. The EU and its allies have rallied to support Ukraine, but without a robust system of transparent company and beneficial ownership data, detecting hidden Russian wealth is difficult, given that many use family members and networks of shell companies to conceal their

Transparency to Track Hidden Wealth2023-07-27T15:43:13+02:00
9 Mar 2022

Act now – open up company and beneficial ownership registers across Europe!

2022-03-18T15:32:55+01:00

This statement, signed by 127 leading transparency, anti-corruption, journalist and open data organisations call upon the European Union Institutions and Member States: act now and open up all company and beneficial ownership registers across the European Union to the public! This is crucial in exposing assets and money of Russian oligarchs in the EU. We are deeply horrified by Putin's incursion into Ukraine and the violation of the rule of law, human rights, and state sovereignty. We support the European Union in collectively taking a strong stance to defend democracy and our common values. The sanctions imposed - freezing assets,

Act now – open up company and beneficial ownership registers across Europe!2022-03-18T15:32:55+01:00
3 Mar 2022

Call for Transparency of Discussions on the Future of Europe’s Digital Market

2022-03-03T15:55:38+01:00

Madrid, 1 March 2022 – Access Info is one of 43 organisations which today called on EU leaders to ensure full transparency of debates over the future regulation of our digital environment, including services and marketplaces online. As three-way negotiations are proceeding between the European Commission, European Parliament and the Member States in the Council of the EU, the organisations expressed concern at the lack of transparency of the texts being discussed. Rather unusually, there has been little transparency of the so-called “trilogue” negotiations on the Digital Markets and the Digital Services Acts, in spite of this being required by

Call for Transparency of Discussions on the Future of Europe’s Digital Market2022-03-03T15:55:38+01:00
2 Mar 2022

Immediate transparency of company ownership is imperative to unveil hidden wealth of Russian oligarchs in the EU

2022-03-10T11:23:42+01:00

Madrid, 2 March 2022 – Helen Darbishire and Rachel Hanna of Access Info Europe explain why transparency is essential to ensure the effectiveness of the sanctions against Russia.  Following the invasion of Ukraine, there has been global outrage at Russia’s blatant disregard for international law, human rights, and the principle of state sovereignty. In an attempt to deter Putin from escalating military action in Ukraine, the EU and its allies have come together to decide on sanctions that directly target Russian oligarchs, freezing their assets – often the fruit of corruption and money laundering –  and impeding them from conducting

Immediate transparency of company ownership is imperative to unveil hidden wealth of Russian oligarchs in the EU2022-03-10T11:23:42+01:00
14 Feb 2022

Access to meetings calendars? Access Info submits Amicus Curiae Brief to the European Court of Human Rights

2022-03-11T11:57:13+01:00

Madrid / Strasbourg, 14 February 2022 – There is strong comparative evidence from across Europe that national access to information laws apply to the meetings calendars of senior public officials according to a submission made by Access Info to the European Court of Human Rights. This evidence has been presented in the form of an Amicus Curiae (“friend of the court”) Brief submitted in relation to the case of Citizens Network Watchdog Poland vs. Poland currently under consideration by Europe’s top human rights court. This case arose when the organisation Watchdog Poland requested the calendars of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal

Access to meetings calendars? Access Info submits Amicus Curiae Brief to the European Court of Human Rights2022-03-11T11:57:13+01:00
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