International Conference on the Right of Access to Information in Cyprus 21st-22nd November 2011 Report and Recommendations
The Access Info Europe “Anti-Corruption Transparency Monitoring Methodology” is designed for anyone wanting to assess levels of transparency in the fields of corruption prevention and integrity promotion. Being transparent implies that governments make available, either at their own initiative or in response to access to information requests, certain classes of information which are essential for evaluating how public power is being exercised and how public funds are being spent. The Anti-Corruption Transparency Monitoring Methodology is a practical guide which can be used by civil society, journalists, academics and others to evaluate whether the key information needed to prevent and/or identify
Reprieve calls on Lithuania to re-open ‘torture site’ inquiry after discovering suspicious flight into Vilnius Notes to Editors: The role of European states in facilitating secret prison operations by the CIA was first revealed in 2005. Poland and Romania were named at this time as countries where the US had maintained secret prisons, while a third European country remained unidentified. In 2009, US-based ABC news published a series of articles which described a detention site in Lithuania, outside Vilnius, according to the testimony of former CIA officials. Lithuania responded to these allegations with a short parliamentary inquiry, completed 22 Dec.
Reprieve calls on Lithuania to re-open ‘torture site’ inquiry after discovering suspicious flight into Vilnius Vilnius, 29 September – Legal action charity Reprieve is demanding that Lithuanian authorities revive their failed inquiry into CIA ‘black sites’ after a Freedom of Information request – made in conjunction with Access Info Europe – uncovered a mysterious flight into the country’s capital during the relevant period. The flight, which was either not noticed or not revealed by Lithuania’s two official inquiries into local rendition complicity, demonstrates the inadequacy of previous attempts to get to the bottom of damaging allegations that have been gathering
Madrid 28 September 2011 – Today Access Info Europe and the Coalición Pro Acceso will hold a round table to celebrate International Right to Know Day with members of four Spanish political parties to discuss their proposals for transparency in the next legislative period. Spain’s two major political parties, the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), currently in government, and the Popular Party (PP), have both drafted proposed transparency laws yet neither of the drafts meet with the 10 basic principles for the law established by the Spanish civil society platform, the Coalición Pro Acceso.
AsktheEU.org: New one-stop portal makes requests for EU documents easy Brussels/Madrid, Wednesday 28 September 2011 – On 28 September 2011, the 9th International Right to Know Day, pro-transparency human rights group Access Info Europe will be unveiling the AsktheEU.org web portal by which the public can ask for information from EU bodies. AsktheEU.org is a designed to radically simplify the process by which the public puts requests to European Union bodies: an email is sent from the website to the relevant EU body. All requests sent via AsktheEU.org and the responses are instantly made public. Requesters will have the opportunity
Legal battle over EU transparency gathers pace 26 September 2011 - Three new players have joined the legal battle over the future of transparency of the Council of the European Union, to be decided by the European Court of Justice (second instance). The Czech Republic and Spain have announced they will join Greece and the UK in supporting the Council's fight to keep the names of Member States making legislative proposals secret. Access Info together with the UK NGOs including the Open Rights Group, the Campaign for Freedom of Information, and Unlock Democracy will use International Right to Know Day
UK promises transparency at home whilst fighting it in Brussels Number 10 Downing Street, Transparency Portal 9 September 2011: Despite domestic efforts to open up government, the UK has taken a stance against transparency in Brussels by being party to a legal battle at the European Court of Justice which if successful would limit public access to documents about future laws. As much as 50% of national legislation is now influenced by European Union rules. The pro-transparency organisation Access Info Europe won a case in March 2011 for access to legislative documents, but the Council of the European Union is
Open Government Partnership should mark end to “transparency hypocrisy” 20 September 2011: With 46 countries gathering in New York today to launch the Open Government Partnership, Access Info Europe warned that the promises being made must be carefully monitored to prevent participating governments from using the process to give a false impression of their transparency credentials. “This initiative has the potential to promote higher standards of openness, in particular in the area of proactive publication of information, but care must be taken to ensure that it does not become a window-dressing exercise,” said Helen Darbishire, Executive Director of Access Info
Germany: Civil society website makes it easier to ask for government information Madrid/Berlin, Friday 1 August 2011 – A coalition of German and international access to information organisations, which includes Access Info Europe, [1] today launched a portal for submitting information requests to the German government.