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Right of access to information at risk in Montenegro

2020-01-29T10:35:11+01:00

Madrid, 31 October 2019 - The Montenegrin government has proposed amendments to its Law on Free Access to Information that directly contradict international standards and undermine the fundamental right of freedom of expression. Access Info today voiced its serious concern and urged the Government to reconsider. Together with MANS, an anti-corruption NGO in Montenegro, Access Info has submitted a legal analysis of the proposed amendments to Montenegro’s Ministry of Public Administration on Law on Free Access to Information. The proposed changes would take Montenegro further away from international standards on transparency. Specifically, they would result in a law that is

Right of access to information at risk in Montenegro2020-01-29T10:35:11+01:00

Ma Dada: a new online service for access information request in France

2019-10-28T16:18:29+01:00

Paris/Madrid, Friday 25 October 2019 - Open Knowledge France, with the support of Access Info Europe and Ouvre-boîte, launches madada.fr, an online service aiming to simplify requests for access to information in France. The main objective of Ma Dada platform is to help researchers, companies, journalists, associations or citizens who wish to exercise their right of access to public information, in a free, open-access service. Ma Dada aims to make citizen's requestes easier by providing a list of public organizations -more than 50,000 authorities are already available on the site!-, a form for sending the request for access to public

Ma Dada: a new online service for access information request in France2019-10-28T16:18:29+01:00

Access Info welcomes proactive publication of sanctions of old people’s homes in Madrid region

2019-12-02T13:02:32+01:00

Madrid, 21 October 2019 – The Community of Madrid has announced that it will henceforth publish proactively sanctions imposed on the nearly 500 old people’s homes in the Madrid region – sanctions for offences such as breaching food, hygiene, or care standards – but only after an investigation by journalists from El País newspaper, who had to win a case before Spain’s Transparency Council in order to obtain the information. Access Info Europe welcomed the proactive publication of the data on the quality of care and standards in old people’s homes, noting that such information is absolutely essential for families

Access Info welcomes proactive publication of sanctions of old people’s homes in Madrid region2019-12-02T13:02:32+01:00

United Nations Proclaims 28 September as the International Day of Universal Access to Information

2020-01-29T10:35:51+01:00

Madrid, 16 October 2019 – In an historic moment for the right of access to information, the United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 28 September of each year as the International Day of the Universal Right of Access to Information. Access Info’s founder and director, Helen Darbishire, one of the experts who founded and promoted the day, commented “The importance of the right of access to information for defending other human rights, for restoring trust, and for advancing inclusive, democratic societies, has today been recognised.” “This is a huge achievement for the civil society movement which first named 28 September

United Nations Proclaims 28 September as the International Day of Universal Access to Information2020-01-29T10:35:51+01:00

Citizen participation: a pending task in Europe

2019-10-10T16:55:24+02:00

Madrid, 10 October 2019 – National governments, the European Union and elected officials across Europe are failing to respond to communications from citizens. A study published today by Access Info and partner organisations reveals, something that must be addressed with urgency if trust in the political system is to be restored. The report "50 Questions from YOU to the EU" sets out how more than 200 citizens from five countries suggested over 300 questions about the future of Europe, which were then sent to public authorities, MEPs and parliamentarians. The questions related to topics of concern, ranging from the 2019

Citizen participation: a pending task in Europe2019-10-10T16:55:24+02:00

Citizen participation: a pending task in Europe

2020-01-29T10:36:15+01:00

Madrid, 10 October 2019 – National governments, the European Union and elected officials across Europe are failing to respond to communications from citizens. A study published today by Access Info and partner organisations reveals, something that must be addressed with urgency if trust in the political system is to be restored. The report “50 Questions from YOU to the EU” sets out how more than 200 citizens from five countries suggested over 300 questions about the future of Europe, which were then sent to public authorities, MEPs and parliamentarians. The questions related to topics of concern, ranging from the 2019

Citizen participation: a pending task in Europe2020-01-29T10:36:15+01:00

Spain: Access Info presents report to UN Human Rights Council on violations of right of access to information

2020-01-29T10:36:45+01:00

Madrid, 01 August 2019 –  Access Info has submitted to the UN Human Rights Council a report on the ways in which the right of access to information is violated in Spain and has called on the Spanish government to bring the legal framework into line with international standards. Specifically Access Info has called for recognition by the Spanish government of access to information as a fundamental right, which would end discrimination against requesters: currently the identity requirements mean that only those who are Spanish citizens  or residents can submit requests. Furthermore, a failure to educate the wider public about

Spain: Access Info presents report to UN Human Rights Council on violations of right of access to information2020-01-29T10:36:45+01:00

Madrid-based NGO CIECODE wins pan-European Citizen Participation prize

2020-01-29T10:39:27+01:00

Madrid, 30 July 2019 – The “Think and Do Tank” CIECODE has taken first prize in an EU-funded competition to develop a software tool that aids citizen participation The competition was organised by Access Info and its partners as part of the YOU4EU project, run under the EU’s Europe for Citizens programme. The winning application "Personal Political Analyst” was developed with the collaboration of Open Government Chair of Polytechnical University of Valencia and the Valencia Provincial Council. It is a voice assistant built on top of Google Platform that allows queries and consultations of the electoral promises made by the

Madrid-based NGO CIECODE wins pan-European Citizen Participation prize2020-01-29T10:39:27+01:00

European Ombudsman: European Commission was wrong to withhold its legal advice on the future Lobby Register from Access Info

2020-01-29T10:39:42+01:00

Madrid, 14 June 2019 – The European Ombudsman has found the European Commission guilty of maladministration for not releasing to Access Info the Commission’s legal advice on the reform of the European Union’s register of lobbyists, known as the Transparency Register. Today’s decision by the Ombudsman comes after a three-year tussle over whether or not Access Info should have been provided with the Commission’s analysis about the legal basis for regulating lobbying in Brussels, the world’s second largest lobby capital after Washington. The initial request for information was made by Access Info in May 2016 at the height of discussions

European Ombudsman: European Commission was wrong to withhold its legal advice on the future Lobby Register from Access Info2020-01-29T10:39:42+01:00
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