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About Helen Darbishire

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So far Helen Darbishire has created 1914 blog entries.
3 Nov 2014

Slurs against anti-corruption activist threaten future of freedom of expression and information in Montenegro

2018-11-13T10:11:37+01:00

Madrid, 4 Novmber 2014 - Access Info Europe today raised concerns about the future of freedom of expression and access to information in Montenegro in the wake of a media smear campaign against the Executive Director of Montenegrin anti-corruption NGO MANS, Vanja Calovic. This is the second time this year the Montenegrin newspaper, the Informer, has conducted a campaign against Calovic which involves slurs of a sexual nature. The attacks started after MANS exposed several cases of corruption and organised crime in Montenegro. Calovic is also the independent evaluator for the Open Government Partnership’s Independent Reporting Mechanism of the Montenegrin

Slurs against anti-corruption activist threaten future of freedom of expression and information in Montenegro2018-11-13T10:11:37+01:00
31 Oct 2014

Recommendations on TTIP Transparency Presented to EU Ombudsman

2018-11-13T10:11:38+01:00

Madrid, 31 October 2014 – Increased disclosure, more proactive transparency of key documents and a more balanced influence of interests were the key issues raised in Access Info Europe’s submission to the public consultation opened by the European Ombudsman on the transparency of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. The talks, conducted between the EU and the US, will determine future rules that will govern the daily lives of citizens on both sides of the Atlantic, including the quality of food, consumer protection, and chemicals safety. Yet, citizens have effectively been shut out as stakeholders due to a

Recommendations on TTIP Transparency Presented to EU Ombudsman2018-11-13T10:11:38+01:00
31 Oct 2014

Report on Transparency of Media Ownership by Leading Media Policy Expert

2018-11-13T10:11:38+01:00

Madrid, 31 October 2014 - The 10 Recommendations for Transparency of Media Ownership (TMO) are currently "the most refined checklist of relevant criteria on TMO and the ideal starting point to discuss action points," according to a background report written for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The report by Peggy Valcke, one of the leading experts in media policy in Europe, states media ownership transparency as an essential prerequisite for the proper functioning of democracies. You can read a copy of the background report here  

Report on Transparency of Media Ownership by Leading Media Policy Expert2018-11-13T10:11:38+01:00
28 Oct 2014

Call for reform of Copyright Rules in the EU

2020-01-29T11:14:43+01:00

Madrid, 28 October 2014 - Access Info Europe, the specialist right to information campaigners, today joined 32 civil society organisations calling on the European Commission to clarify the framework for copyright within the European Union. The position paper by Free Knowledge Advocacy Group EU calls on the European Commission to bring copyright law into the 21st century, redefining the balance between public commons and private property, and shortening copyright terms to the minimum term possible under existing international treaties and conventions. Access Info Europe has a particular concern to ensure that all information created by EU bodies should be open

Call for reform of Copyright Rules in the EU2020-01-29T11:14:43+01:00
22 Oct 2014

Lack of Transparency Leads to EU Expert Group Budget Freeze

2018-11-13T10:11:38+01:00

Madrid, 22 October 2014 - The European Parliament has voted to freeze the budget of the European Commission's Expert Groups for the second time in four years, due to a lack of transparency, conflict of interest issues, and unbalanced stakeholder representation within these advisory groups. A group of cross-party MEPs [1] tabled the amendment to withhold almost €4 million from the Commission budget for 2015, covering expert group expenses. It was voted through by all major groups. The conditions for its release relate to stakeholder balance, conflicts of interest and transparency. ALTER EU, of which Access Info is a steering

Lack of Transparency Leads to EU Expert Group Budget Freeze2018-11-13T10:11:38+01:00
20 Oct 2014

Legal Leaks training in Skopje

2023-07-27T15:51:14+02:00

Skopje, 20 October 2014 - In the context of the South East Europe Media Forum, a regional conference organized with the support of UNESCO and the European Commission, Access Info Europe and UNESCO held its 6th Legal Leaks training seminar in the South East Europe region in collaboration with the Macedonian Institute for Media. The training took place in Skopje on 16 October 2014 and had as trainers: Helen Darbishire, executive director of Access Info Europe; Victoria Anderica, legal researcher and campaigner in Access Info Europe; and Gavin Sheridan, investigative journalist and FOI expert. The Macedonian version of the Legal

Legal Leaks training in Skopje2023-07-27T15:51:14+02:00
16 Oct 2014

UN Human Rights Committee Urged to Investigate Violations of Right to Information in Spain

2023-07-27T15:52:39+02:00

Madrid, 17 October 2014 – The UN Human Rights Committee has been urged to look into violations of freedom of expression and the right to information in Spain in a letter sent by leading international media freedom organisations. This is the first time that freedom of expression organisations have raised the case of Spain before the UN Human Rights Committee. The signatories of the letter, coordinated by the International Press Institute, are Access Info Europe, AMARC Europe, Article 19, European Federation of Journalists, Free Expression Associates, Reporters Without Borders, and the World Association of Newspapers.

UN Human Rights Committee Urged to Investigate Violations of Right to Information in Spain2023-07-27T15:52:39+02:00
14 Oct 2014

Entendiendo la ley de transparencia I: ¿Cuándo entra en vigor la Ley de Transparencia y para qué instituciones?

2018-11-13T10:11:40+01:00

Post originalmente publicado en El Blog de Tuderechoasaber.es Madrid, 14 de octubre de 2014 – En Tuderechoasaber.es empezamos una serie de posts en los que vamos a intentar explicar en qué consiste la Ley de Transparencia para que estemos todos preparados para usarla a partir de su entrada en vigor el 10 de diciembre de 2014. ¿Cuándo entra en vigor la ley de transparencia? La Ley 19/2013, de 9 de diciembre, de transparencia, acceso a la información pública y buen gobierno consta de tres partes. Vamos a aclarar cuándo entra en vigor cada una de ellas y para qué instituciones:

Entendiendo la ley de transparencia I: ¿Cuándo entra en vigor la Ley de Transparencia y para qué instituciones?2018-11-13T10:11:40+01:00
10 Oct 2014

EU Ombudsman urged to review European Commission’s insistence on postal addresses to register requests for documents

2018-11-13T10:11:41+01:00

Madrid, 13 October 2014 – Access Info Europe is challenging the European Commission’s policy of demanding postal addresses as a precondition for registering requests for access to EU documents as part of a complaint being considered by the European Ombudsman. Access Info Europe argues that Commission’s policy, adopted on 1 April 2014, of refusing to register requests without postal address interferes unnecessarily and disproportionately with citizens' ability to exercise their right of access to documents and is in breach of Regulation 1049/2001. The issue of addresses was raised by the Commission as part of an exchange of views regarding the

EU Ombudsman urged to review European Commission’s insistence on postal addresses to register requests for documents2018-11-13T10:11:41+01:00
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