ACCESSING COMPANY REGISTERS
USING THE RIGHT TO KNOW
ONLY 1 OUT OF 32 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ALLOWS FREE, PUBLIC
ACCESS TO ITS ENTIRE COMPANY REGISTER
European governments, by putting these obstacles to accessing company register data, are complicit in blocking investigative journalists in their work uncovering criminal activities, money laundering, and tax evasion.
Experts’ views
Why is it important for the public to have full, free access to company registers?
Users perspective on access to company registers:
The Findings
The map below summarises the results of the request process, which took almost two years to complete.
To find out more about what happened in each country, click on the map or use the country-by-country list below:
Map Key
In red…Refused access to info
In orange…Process still ongoing
In green…Gave full access to info
In blue…Administrative silence
OPEN COMPANY REGISTERS LATEST NEWS
Finalists Announced for the Inaugural Access Info Impact Award
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
Call for nominations for the Access Info Impact Award
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
Global Data Barometer: What the EU should do to close the data gap
Madrid, 22 December 2022 – Access Info is today calling on the European Union and EU Member States to act to ensure that data needed for priority issues such as for preventing corruption and tackling climate change, is made public in all countries. This call comes following the publication on 16 December 2022 of the report “The State of
Not all Expression is Lobbying
Submission to OECD Consultation on Lobbying and Influence Madrid, 6 December 2022 – In its analysis of the draft OECD Recommendation on the regulation of lobbying and influence, Access Info has warned of the risk of some governments using the proposed provisions to limit media freedom and freedom of expression in the name of regulating “influence” and ensuring that
Global Civil Society Organisations Concerned About European Court Ruling on Beneficial Ownership Transparency
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
Open Beneficial Ownership Register Rules Declared Invalid by EU’s Highest Court
Madrid, 23 November 2022 – The Court of Justice of the European Union on 22 November 2022 declared invalid the provision of the Fifth European Union Anti-Money Laundering Directive that requires EU countries to provide public access to beneficial ownership registers. In a ruling that has sent shockwaves through Europe’s anti-corruption and transparency community, the Court found that the Fifth