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So far Helen Darbishire has created 1914 blog entries.
2 Feb 2017

European Parliament votes in favour of beneficial ownership transparency for fishing vessels

2018-11-13T10:03:42+01:00

Madrid, 2 February 2017 - Access Info Europe welcomed today’s European Parliament plenary vote overwhelmingly in favour of a regulation that will introduce beneficial ownership transparency for EU fishing vessels. MEPs voted 586 in favour, with 56 against and just 6 abstentions, to create a public register of the EU flagged fishing fleet, something that will contribute to the fight against illegal and unsustainable fishing, as well as limiting opportunities for money laundering and tax evasion by vessel owners. “The Parliament’s position represents an opportunity for the EU to make its fisheries policy a leading example of how beneficial ownership

European Parliament votes in favour of beneficial ownership transparency for fishing vessels2018-11-13T10:03:42+01:00
31 Jan 2017

Access Info calls on Commission to publish travel expenses data proactively

2018-11-13T10:03:43+01:00

Madrid, 31 January 2017 – Following a massive public response to Access Info’s campaign to crowd source requests for Commissioners’ expenses, the organisation has written to Vice President Frans Timmermans calling for the data to be proactively published. In under two days on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 January, a total of 119 people from across Europe submitted a total of 168 requests for access to the 2016 travel expenses claims of the 28 European Commissioners. “The rapid response to this campaign demonstrates the huge public interest in getting this information into the public domain,” stated Andreas Pavlou, Access Info’s

Access Info calls on Commission to publish travel expenses data proactively2018-11-13T10:03:43+01:00
27 Jan 2017

Commission says that Juncker had to take an emergency air taxi when the Belgian air force let him down

2018-11-13T10:03:43+01:00

Madrid, 27 January 2017 - A European Union spokesperson last night told Germany online publication Netzpolitik.org that the €63,126 that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker spent on an air taxi from Turkey to Brussels in November 2015 was an emergency expense incurred the Belgian Air Force let them down on the planned flight home. Commission Spokesperson Alexander Winterstein wrote to German FOI campaigner Arne Semsrott, author of an article about the campaign in Netzpolitik.org that: “The return flight of Presidents Tusk and Juncker, as well as the accompanying delegations, from the G-20 meeting in Antalya could not be carried out

Commission says that Juncker had to take an emergency air taxi when the Belgian air force let him down2018-11-13T10:03:43+01:00
27 Jan 2017

Wie hoch sind Oettingers Reisekosten? Anfrage-Kampagne will Abrechnungen von EU-Kommissaren offenlegen

2018-11-13T09:42:56+01:00

Netzpolitik | 26/01/2017 German - Die Organisation Access Info Europe ruft zur Übernahme von Anfragen an die EU-Kommission auf, um Reiseabrechnungen der EU-Kommisssare offenzulegen. Bisher war die Institution wenig transparent. Dabei ließ sich Kommissionspräsident Jean-Claude Juncker alleine einen Flug nach Antalya 63.000 Euro kosten. Read more...

Wie hoch sind Oettingers Reisekosten? Anfrage-Kampagne will Abrechnungen von EU-Kommissaren offenlegen2018-11-13T09:42:56+01:00
26 Jan 2017

Call to publish commissioners’ travel expenses

2018-11-13T09:42:56+01:00

Politico | 26/01/2017 English - Campaigners are demanding that the European Commission release detailed travel costs of official trips taken by European commissioners. Access Info Europe, a NGO, is urging citizens and activists to make systematic document requests for the 2016 travel expenses of the 28 European commissioners. Read more...

Call to publish commissioners’ travel expenses2018-11-13T09:42:56+01:00
26 Jan 2017

Request campaign launched for access to EU Commissioners’ travel expenses

2018-11-13T10:03:43+01:00

Madrid, 26 January 2017 - Access Info Europe today launched a public campaign to crowd source access to EU documents requests to obtain full information on the spending by EU Commissioners on travel costs. CLICK HERE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CAMPAIGN! The campaign follows the discovery from a request by Access Info team member Alba Gutiérrez that Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker spent €63,126 on an air taxi to Turkey for the G20 summit. At same time, the Commission’s contracts with private air companies that provide such services was denied to another Access Info campaigner, Andreas Pavlou. After

Request campaign launched for access to EU Commissioners’ travel expenses2018-11-13T10:03:43+01:00
25 Jan 2017

MEPs urged to ensure transparency and accountability of EU fishing fleet operating internationally

2018-11-13T10:03:43+01:00

Brussels/Madrid, 25 January 2017 – Over forty civil society organisations have endorsed a joint letter initiated by Access Info Europe and Oceana to urge Members of the European Parliament to vote in favour of a proposed Regulation that will help fight illegal fishing by increasing transparency about the owners of EU flagged vessels. The Regulation on the sustainable management of external fishing fleets will set up an EU-managed public register of authorisations for vessels fishing outside EU waters, and has already been approved by the Parliament’s Fishing (PECH) and Development (DEVE) committees. A key feature of this future register is

MEPs urged to ensure transparency and accountability of EU fishing fleet operating internationally2018-11-13T10:03:43+01:00
25 Jan 2017

The three-year battle for EU Commissioners’ travel expenses, described

2020-01-29T11:27:30+01:00

The first request On 6 May 2014, Access Info requested “documents which provide detail on the amounts paid in salaries, travel costs and travel expenses, [and] other expenses to each of the EU Commissioners and to Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso for the years 2012 and 2013.” The Commission’s first answer contained the global figures for travel and representation costs of the entire Commission for 2012 and 2013. We challenged this in a confirmatory application (appeal), and on 19 August 2014 the Commission eventually disclosed the travel and representation costs per year per Commissioner. See here: https://www.asktheeu.org/en/request/commissioners_expenses_2012_and_2 Diving deeper Having

The three-year battle for EU Commissioners’ travel expenses, described2020-01-29T11:27:30+01:00
18 Jan 2017

2016. Переломный год в открытости

2018-11-13T09:42:56+01:00

Журналист (Journalist)  | 18/01/2017 English translation of the Russian article - In case you missed it, this year marks the 250th anniversary since the world’s first transparency law was adopted, in Sweden in 1766. At a quick glance, it seems we have a lot to celebrate in Europe – every country on the continent (bar Cyprus and Luxembourg which have draft laws) now has a transparency law that gives citizens the right of access to government-held information. Read more in Russian...

2016. Переломный год в открытости2018-11-13T09:42:56+01:00