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About Helen Darbishire

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So far Helen Darbishire has created 1914 blog entries.
13 Feb 2020

Call for Transparency of the EU Court of Justice

2020-02-13T18:16:50+01:00

Madrid, 12 February 2020 – Access Info today joined the organisation The Good Lobby, and nearly 250 signatories in sending an open letter to the President of the European Court of Justice, asking for their hearings to be live streamed so that there is genuine transparency in the Court's proceedings. The letter to the Court President, Konen Lenaerts, draws attention to the need of restore citizens' trust in judicial system "at a time of growing, and worrisome, populistic attacks on the judicial branch across the EU." The signatories denounce the lack of transparency of the Court's hearings, which prevents European

Call for Transparency of the EU Court of Justice2020-02-13T18:16:50+01:00
13 Feb 2020

Bureau request for Russia report transparency dismissed as ‘vexatious’

2020-02-13T17:13:30+01:00

The Bureau of Investigative Journalist | 13/02/2020 No 10 has dismissed as “vexatious” a freedom of information request by the Bureau for emails between the prime minister’s office and the parliamentary committee behind the Russia report in the run up to the 2019 general election. The Bureau sought these emails because they could have shed light on Boris Johnson’s controversial decision to delay the publication of the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) report into Russian influence in the UK until after the election. Read more...

Bureau request for Russia report transparency dismissed as ‘vexatious’2020-02-13T17:13:30+01:00
12 Feb 2020

ACT! Fighting Corruption at Local Level

2021-08-30T12:04:02+02:00

Madrid, 11 February 2020 – The Anticorruption City Toolkit (ACT!) is a project designed to prevent corruption at local level by providing municipalities with policies and digital tools for improving the detection and reporting of corruption, for receiving information requests, and for controlling public procurement and budgeting. The project is being carried out by a pan-European consortium comprising Access Info Europe in Spain, Transparency International Italia, Avviso Pubblico, Ondata, and Openpolis in Italy, and Vouliwatch in Greece, together with the municipalities of Athens, Madrid, and Milan. During the first phase of the project, in-depth surveys were conducted to map the

ACT! Fighting Corruption at Local Level2021-08-30T12:04:02+02:00
5 Feb 2020

European Commission takes historical expenses data offline! Access Info publishes expenses of the previous Commission.

2020-02-06T12:05:48+01:00

Madrid/Brussels, 5 February 2020 – Access Info Europe today condemned the removal from the European Commission website of all the previous travel expenses data of Commissioners, and has written a letter to Commissioner Vera Jourová, who is charged with Values and Transparency, calling for publication of the historical and current expenses data in an accessible, user-friendly format, in real time. Breaching a 2017 commitment to publish Commissioners' mission expenses data, a commitment that itself came about after a three-year campaign for transparency by the Madrid-based organisation Access Info Europe, the Commission has now archived all the previously published data to

European Commission takes historical expenses data offline! Access Info publishes expenses of the previous Commission.2020-02-06T12:05:48+01:00
28 Jan 2020

Spain: Government should accept all UN recommendations on freedom of expression and information

2020-01-28T17:55:51+01:00

Madrid, 28 January 2020 – Access Info Europe, together with seven international and Spanish civil society organisations, today called on the Spanish Government to accept recommendations on freedom of expression and information  made by other UN member states during Spain’s review at the Human Rights Council. The recommendations were made on 22 January 2020 as part of the regular Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, and reflect those presented by civil society in its report. Priorities include urgent modification of the Penal Code and abolishing the Law on Citizens’ Security (the so-called “gag law” which restricts expression on the internet) to

Spain: Government should accept all UN recommendations on freedom of expression and information2020-01-28T17:55:51+01:00
27 Jan 2020

European Commissioners’ Expenses Transparency: Ombudsman accepts challenge to secrecy justified by “privacy”

2021-03-29T15:56:52+02:00

Madrid, 27 January 2020 – The European Ombudsman has accepted two complaints from Access Info against the refusal by the European Commission to provide information about the exact nature of “miscellaneous” travel expenses claimed by various Commissioners, including former Commission President Jean Claude Juncker’s spending of €8,320 while at the G20 in Buenos Aires in November 2018. The Commission has argued that it cannot give the details of what the funds were spent on because it would violate the privacy of the Commissioners, something that Access Info is challenging. The other mystery spending which the Commission includes how Commissioner Cecilia

European Commissioners’ Expenses Transparency: Ombudsman accepts challenge to secrecy justified by “privacy”2021-03-29T15:56:52+02:00
23 Jan 2020

La mala calidad de las respuestas a las solicitudes de información pública dispara un 25% las quejas ante el Consejo de Transparencia

2020-01-23T10:01:04+01:00

Sueldos Públicos | 05/12/2019 Spanish - Acces Info alerta sobre el escaso uso e interés por las herramientas que ofrece la Ley de Transparencia. El reglamento no está en vigor; las respuestas ofrecidas no son de buena calidad, sigue habiendo muy pocas solicitudes de información y solo una de cada cuatro la registra una mujer. En definitiva, La Ley de Transparencia sigue sin ser prioritaria para los políticos, pero los ciudadanos de a pie tampoco le prestan mucha atención. Read more...

La mala calidad de las respuestas a las solicitudes de información pública dispara un 25% las quejas ante el Consejo de Transparencia2020-01-23T10:01:04+01:00
22 Jan 2020

Tenders Guru project: Guide to EU Whistleblower Protection Directive

2021-08-11T13:28:33+02:00

Madrid, 22 January 2020- Leading transparency and anti-corruption organisations from across Europe have today released a Guide to the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive, which came into force on 16 December 2019 and must be transposed by EU Member States within two years. The Guide explains how the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive is structured and the minimum standards of protection that countries need to include in national law. The Guide also makes recommendations on how national laws can ensure an even more comprehensive protection for anyone who exposes corruption and wrongdoing in any area of governmental activity and spending. The Guide

Tenders Guru project: Guide to EU Whistleblower Protection Directive2021-08-11T13:28:33+02:00
16 Jan 2020

Tenders Guru project: Public Procurement Glossary

2021-08-11T13:24:23+02:00

Madrid, 15 January 2020- Leading transparency and anti-corruption organisations from across Europe have today released the Public Procurement Glossary, a guide on the terminology used in public procurement processes, with the goal of making it easier for civil society and journalists to monitor for corruption and wrongdoing in local procurement processes.

Tenders Guru project: Public Procurement Glossary2021-08-11T13:24:23+02:00
Original content developed by Access Info Europe and is made public under a Creative Commons Attribution, Share Alike licence.