Access Info Europe is delighted to announce its selection as the Regional Hub for the European Union for the Global Data Barometer (GDB), with responsibility for mapping levels of open data in 20 European countries as part of the 2021 global study.
Spain has adopted an ambitious four-year Open Government Action Plan, replete with measures called for by Access Info, including reform of the 2013 Transparency Law, ratification of the Convention on Access to Official Documents, new laws on lobby regulation and whistleblower protection, and the opening of key data, including the company register and some health service data.
Date: 21/10/2020 The right to freedom of information is an integral part of the freedom of expression, which constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society and is one of the basic conditions for its progress and development. OSCE participating States have explicitly stressed that the right to freedom of expression includes the freedom to hold opinions, and to receive and impart information as well as ideas without interference by public authorities, and regardless of frontiers. While almost all OSCE participating States have adopted access to information / freedom of information laws, there are still problems in practical enforcement
EUobserver | 19/10/2020 When Ursula von der Leyen took the helm as president of the European Commission last year, she told her commissioners they should be open about contacts they have with lobbyists. "Transparency should characterise the work of all the members of the commission and of their cabinets," she wrote. I have recently learned that despite transparency having become "one of the guiding principles for the functioning of the new commission", this principle is not always put to practice. Read more...
Date: 16/10/2020 Access Info Europe's director, Helen Darbishire, spoke before the Catalan Parliament on the Proposed Law for the Protection of Whistleblowers. Access Info has carried out different actions calling for a state project to protect whistleblowers, as well as for a participatory legislative process to transpose the European Directive 2019/1937 on this matter. "Protecting whistleblowers is about preventing and fighting corruption, defending the environment and respecting human rights," said Darbishire.
Newtral | 15/10/2020 In Spanish- Hace dos meses Newtral.es solicitó a través del portal de transparencia información relativa a la estancia del rey emérito Juan Carlos I en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Tras conocer el país de destino, se realizó una petición de información sobre los gastos del rey emérito en el exterior desde el 3 de agosto, cuando se conoció su decisión de marcharse fuera. Read more...
Madrid, 2 October 2020- The global news headlines might be talking about the worrying rise in coronavirus infections in Madrid - and the new lockdown - but there is also a lot of good news for transparency activists coming out of Spain this week, beautifully timed to coincide with International Access to Information Day on 28 September.
Date: 28/09/2020 The International Congress on Transparency and Right of Access to Public Information was founded in 2016 by the Complutense University of Madrid. Since then, the Legal Regulation and Digital Citizen Participation Research Group and the Association of Transparency Professionals (ACREDITRA) have been promoting this annual initiative that brings together experts in and advocates for citizen participation, accountability, responsible public management, lobbying regulation and public integrity. Access Info Europe was very involved in the different sessions of the congress, which celebrated its fifth edition, and participated in the round table discussion "For a new Transparency Law in Spain". Access
Youth Time Magazine | 28/09/2020 “Information is power”, is written in the UN webpage, as describing the importance of International Day for Universal Access to Information, annually observed on 28 September. In order to raise awareness of the importance of universal access to information, the UN General Assembly has proclaimed 28th of September as such. In this article, we will elaborate on why universal access to information is the keystone of inclusive, democratic, and healthy societies with Access Info Europe, a human rights organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the right of access to information. Read more...
Madrid, 28 September 2020- On the occasion of International Access to Information Day, the pro-transparency organisation Access Info Europe is calling on the governments of the European region to sign and ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents, which will come into force on 1 December 2020, and to commit to strengthening this fundamental right.