A discussion of freedom of information laws in the U.S. and Europe
Helen Darbishire2021-04-14T10:24:57+02:00Date: 16/03/2021
The importance of transparency in Covid-19 Recovery Plans
Helen Darbishire2021-04-15T12:46:49+02:00Date: 16/03/2021 Since the European Union announced, through the Next Generation Funds, the allocation of 140 billion euros for the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, Member States are making a major communication effort to ensure that the whole process is carried out under the principles of transparency and accountability. However, managing these funds in a timely manner requires certain procedural flexibilities that may lower the standards of the projects funded, leading to corruption and mismanagement. How can this situation be prevented, what control mechanisms should Spain implement, and how can they reach decentralised administrations? In order to answer these questions,
Win for Transparency: European Parliament supports amending Article 113 of Fisheries Control Regulation
Helen Darbishire2021-04-01T14:38:12+02:00Madrid, 11 March 2021– Access Info Europe welcomes the vote by the European Parliament to remove limits on access to information in the controversial Article 113 of the EU’s Fisheries Control regulation.
Governments delay access to public records during pandemic
Helen Darbishire2021-03-22T11:42:33+01:00The Independent | 09/03/2021 A year after the first coronavirus shutdowns, public records have become harder to get in many US states and cities. As states prepared to reopen their economies following coronavirus shutdowns last spring, The Associated Press asked governors across the U.S. for records that could shed light on how businesses and health officials influenced their decisions. Read more...
Call on MEPs to end Secrecy of EU Fishing Controls
Helen Darbishire2021-04-01T14:38:30+02:00Madrid/Brussels, 9 March 2021– MEPs are being urged to vote on 9 March 2021 to end secrecy surrounding the control of fishing by removing a controversial clause that dates from 1993, long before the EU’s transparency norms got adopted.
Open Data Day: Access Info calls on governments to collect and publish all SDG data
Helen Darbishire2022-10-26T12:33:03+02:00Madrid, 5 March 2021– On the occasion of International Open Data Day, Access Info is calling on governments to collect and publish data on the 231 indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals, in order to measure progress towards the achievement of the goals by 2030, and to release that data following the open data principles.
Transparency and access to information in the COVID-19 era
Helen Darbishire2021-07-13T12:06:57+02:00Date: 25/02/2021 During the international response to COVID-19, a good part of the controversies has revolved around the handling of information: committee composition, hospital occupation, availability of breathing equipment, purchases from suppliers, deconfinement plans, tracking staff, vaccination plans, etc.
Renewed call for Open Company Registers: a Response to OpenLux
Helen Darbishire2021-05-18T14:26:34+02:0015 February 2021– As the OpenLux scandal unfolds, leading transparency, anti-corruption and open data organisations today reiterated their call to the European Commission and national governments to open company registers with high quality data in order to prevent the corruption, fraud, tax evasion and organised crime that has once again come to light thanks to the work of investigative journalists.
Spain: Access Info and Transparency Council meet to discuss the independent oversight of the right to information
Helen Darbishire2021-04-05T12:54:33+02:00Madrid, 12 February 2021– Access Info’s Helen Darbishire yesterday met with the new director of Spain’s Transparency Council, José Luis Rodríguez Álvarez, to discuss reform of the Transparency Law and also recent concerns about the manner by which the new appointments to the Council had been made.
Access Info Europe reiterates call for Open Company Registers
Helen Darbishire2021-05-18T14:26:30+02:00As the OpenLux scandal unfolds, Access Info Europe today reiterated its call to the European Commission and national governments to open company registers fully as open data in order to fight corruption, tax evasion, and organised crime.