Blog – Page 7 – Access Info Europe

Spain and State Secrets: Civil Society condemns mid-August consultation on first new secrecy law in over 50 years!

Helen Darbishire2022-08-26T21:05:19+02:00

Photo: El País Update, 26 August 2022: 24 organisations have signed this statement, as well as three individual experts. Madrid, 13 August 2022 – Access Info is one of 15 civil society organisations which today condemned in the strongest terms an incredibly short, mid-August, public consultation on a Spain’s new secrecy law, proposed to replace the 1968 Franco-era law still in force. The new draft law was made public by the Spanish government on 3 August 2022 with a deadline of 12 August for public comments, right in the heart of the holiday period when very few academics, legal experts,

Spain and State Secrets: Civil Society condemns mid-August consultation on first new secrecy law in over 50 years!Helen Darbishire2022-08-26T21:05:19+02:00

La voz de las mujeres por el derecho a la información

Helen Darbishire2022-07-04T17:12:17+02:00

EXPANSIÓN política | 30/06/2022 Spanish - Desde la necesidad de empoderar a las mujeres a través del acceso a la información, pasando por el reto de regular la inteligencia artificial y la necesidad de disminuir la brecha digital, fueron algunas de las discusiones relevantes en las mesas de trabajo que diversas representantes de los cinco continentes llevaron a la décimo tercera edición de la Conferencia Internacional de Comisionados de Información (ICIC). Read more...

La voz de las mujeres por el derecho a la informaciónHelen Darbishire2022-07-04T17:12:17+02:00

Spain: Another case of lack of transparency about transparency

Helen Darbishire2022-07-05T12:51:51+02:00

Madrid, 1 July 2022 – This week Access Info submitted an appeal to the Spanish Transparency Council after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused access to any documents at all about Spain’s signature and ratification of the Tromsø Convention, arguing that disclosure might damage international relations. This refusal is perplexing given that ratification of the Tromsø Convention is a flagship commitment under Spain’s IV Open Government Partnership Action Plan, and the signature ceremony in Strasbourg on 23 November 2021 was a very public event covered in Spanish media. The appeal submitted yesterday comes after a tortuous process of a series

Spain: Another case of lack of transparency about transparencyHelen Darbishire2022-07-05T12:51:51+02:00

EU gibt Chats zu Impfstoffdeal nicht frei

Helen Darbishire2022-06-30T15:43:10+02:00

news.ORF.at | 30/06/2022 German - Rund um den Ankauf von Impfstoffen des Herstellers Pfizer durch die EU-Kommission gibt es immer noch ungeklärte Fragen. Im Zentrum stehen Textnachrichten von Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen mit Pfizer-Chef Albert Bourla. Ein Antrag auf Herausgabe der Chats wurde von der Kommission abgelehnt, nun legte die Behörde nach Kritik der EU-Ombudsfrau Emily O’Reilly nach. Read more...

EU gibt Chats zu Impfstoffdeal nicht freiHelen Darbishire2022-06-30T15:43:10+02:00

Von der Leyen’s texts are not a private matter

Helen Darbishire2022-06-30T15:37:21+02:00

POLITICO | 30/06/2022 English - In the spring of 2021, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was in a pickle. AstraZeneca, a leading manufacturer of COVID-19 vaccines, was not delivering the quantities promised, and the Commission was under heavy fire for failing to make their advance purchase agreements legally airtight, so as to prevent the company from prioritizing other countries — chiefly the United Kingdom. So, in a bid to secure a new vaccine supply, von der Leyen took to a tool of essential importance at the highest level of politics — her smartphone. Read more...

Von der Leyen’s texts are not a private matterHelen Darbishire2022-06-30T15:37:21+02:00

European Commission rejects recommendation by Ombudsman to open up secret covid vaccine negotiations

Helen Darbishire2022-06-29T12:47:01+02:00

130,000-strong petition backs European Ombudsman ruling for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to adhere to EU transparency rules around vaccine negotiations. Brussels, 29 June 2022 – The European Commission today doubled-down on its refusal to release text messages exchanged with Pfizer CEO, Albert Bourla, relating to negotiations of the purchase of covid vaccines in spite of calls to do so from over 130,000 citizens and the European Ombudsman. This Wednesday, rejecting the opinion by the European Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, who said that the text messages are subject to EU transparency rules, the European Commission is arguing instead that text

European Commission rejects recommendation by Ombudsman to open up secret covid vaccine negotiationsHelen Darbishire2022-06-29T12:47:01+02:00

Almost 200 signatories ask the European Commission to open company ownership

Helen Darbishire2022-06-23T17:04:30+02:00

Madrid, 23 June 2022 - 182 organisations, journalists, academics, and individuals have signed a petition calling on the European Commission to ensure company ownership transparency in the EU. The petition comes as a response to the Commission’s draft Implementing Regulation for the Open Data Directive, which proposes the publication of only basic company information and company documents, without the names of company legal owners, legal representatives, and beneficial owners. The broad range of organisations and individuals adhering to this petition indicate the importance of open company registers: without company ownership information, CSOs and journalists would not have access to the

Almost 200 signatories ask the European Commission to open company ownershipHelen Darbishire2022-06-23T17:04:30+02:00

Transparenz in Österreich – Amtsgeheimnis

Helen Darbishire2022-06-16T10:39:52+02:00

ZEIT ONLINE | 08/06/2022 German - In einer weltweiten Transparenz-Rangliste liegt Österreich auf dem letzten Platz. Mathias Huter, Obmann des Forums für Informationsfreiheit in Wien, erklärt die Gründe und schlägt vor, was sich ändern muss. Read more...

Transparenz in Österreich – AmtsgeheimnisHelen Darbishire2022-06-16T10:39:52+02:00

Act Now! Have your say on EU company ownership transparency – Follow our guidance on how to participate in the public consultation

Helen Darbishire2022-06-13T16:01:06+02:00

Madrid, 13 June 2022 – We are urging civil society organisations, journalists and citizens across Europe to participate in the European Commission’s consultation on whether or not company registers should be open. The consultation is open until Tuesday 21 June 2022 (midnight Brussels time). What is this about? The consultation is on the Open Data Directive, adopted in 2019, which promised to open up company and company ownership data, including the names of the legal and beneficial owners. This information is currently available to all who have the means to pay for the data, with costs ranging up to €11

Act Now! Have your say on EU company ownership transparency – Follow our guidance on how to participate in the public consultationHelen Darbishire2022-06-13T16:01:06+02:00

Don’t let the European Commission go back on its promise to open up EU company ownership – have your say in the Public Consultation!

Helen Darbishire2022-06-01T13:03:29+02:00

Madrid, 1 June 2022 – Under the EU’s Open Data Directive, company registration and ownership information should be available as open data. In a surprise move, the European Commission is now proposing, via a long-overdue Implementing Regulation, that the names of the owners of companies will not be made available for free. As a result, SMEs, businesses, academia, journalists and CSOs will not get access to information that is vital in due diligence, innovation and preventing corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing. Join leading transparency and open data activists in a public briefing to discuss next steps and how to

Don’t let the European Commission go back on its promise to open up EU company ownership – have your say in the Public Consultation!Helen Darbishire2022-06-01T13:03:29+02:00