Blog – Page 95 – Access Info Europe

Italy: The Silent State

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:44+01:00

Unsatisfactory (73%) versus satisfactory (27%) responses to requests • Italian public institutions do not answer, refuse or gave inadequate answers to 73% of requests from citizens and the media; • Only 27% of 300 rquests resulted in release of information, of which just 13% received full information. Perugia, 25 April 2013 – Italians are asking questions but the Italian government gives very few answers: The findings of the first and most extensive access to information monitoring ever carried out in Italy show that almost three times out of four, requests for information on matters such as public expenditure, health, environment

Italy: The Silent StateHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:44+01:00

OLAF’s investigation report on Dalligate leaked

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:44+01:00

Brussels, 28 April 2013 – Whatever emerges as the real reason for Mr. Dalli’s resignation, the Dalli case shows that the Commission urgently needs more rigorous transparency and ethics rules to avoid undue influence. Instead of the current vaguely-worded Code of Conduct and Staff Regulation, the Commission needs clear rules around its contacts with lobbyists, for instance on matters like meetings set up by acquaintances acting as lobby consultants. There is also a need for stricter and mandatory ethics rules for lobbyists, replacing those laid out in the code of conduct connected to the voluntary Transparency Register.

OLAF’s investigation report on Dalligate leakedHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:44+01:00

The Voices of EU Citizens Presented in Brussels

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:44+01:00

“I don’t want to be rich, I want to be happy” Madrid/Brussels, 24 April 2013 — Access Info Europe today called on the European Union to make the “European Year of Citizens” a reality by removing obstacles to participation in Brussels decision making, in particular by increasing levels of EU transparency. *A member of the Spanish public speaking in this video which captures the voices of European Citizens facing up to the current financial crisis Citizens’ Report (EN) Citizens’ Report (FR) Citizens’ Report (ES) Presenting “The Citizens’ Report: Participation, Ethics and Transparency – What citizens want from Brussels”, the culmination

The Voices of EU Citizens Presented in BrusselsHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:44+01:00

ALTER EU Briefing on the Code of Conduct for Lobbyists

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:45+01:00

ALTER EU Briefing on the Code of Conduct for Lobbyists Brussels, 18 April 2013 – As part of the two-year revision of the EU’s transparency register, Access Info and ALTER EU have called for a strengthening of the Code of Conduct for Lobbyists, which applies to all those listed in the register.

ALTER EU Briefing on the Code of Conduct for LobbyistsHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:45+01:00

Briefing on the Transparency Register

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:45+01:00

Brussels, 18 April 2013 – Current flaws in the Transparency Register: • Far too many major players missing. Although the number of registrants has increased, far too many active lobby players are still not on the list. Law firms involved in lobbying continue to evade disclosure.

Briefing on the Transparency RegisterHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:45+01:00

Actualización sobre destino de las donaciones de la campaña de los 3.000 euros

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:45+01:00

Access Info Europe convocó una campaña de crowdfunding el 11 de enero de 2013 para recaudar los 3.000 euros que el Tribunal Supremo estableció en su condena costas por un caso que Access Info comenzó en 2007 para reclamar su derecho a conocer qué hace España para implementar medidas anticorrupción (ver todos los detalles del caso aquí). Durante esa campaña, Access Info consiguió superó con creces el dinero que pedía y recaudó un total de 10.630,84 €. 221 personas ingresaron su donación vía transferencia bancaria y 490 personas hicieron su donación vía Paypal. Es decir un total de 711 personas

Actualización sobre destino de las donaciones de la campaña de los 3.000 eurosHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:45+01:00

The use of online forms to make access to information requests

Helen Darbishire2020-02-14T11:25:53+01:00

On tuderechoasaber.es, a platform to submit online FOI request to Spanish institutions, it has become more and more common to see Spanish institutions answer access to information requests with links to online forms. This practice is inappropriate because it places unnecessary obstacles in the way of accessing information as well as being uncommon in other countries. ¿Why is it not recommended to use forms? Firstly, because international standards, such as the Council of Europe’s Convention on Access to Public Documents, establishes that to ask for information you should only have to indicate the necessary information in order for your request

The use of online forms to make access to information requestsHelen Darbishire2020-02-14T11:25:53+01:00

The Spanish institutions have ignored 54% of information requests after 12 months of public debate on transparency

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:46+01:00

• Access Info Europe and Fundación Ciudadana Civio present the report Tuderechoasaber.es 2012, which analyses the information requests sent to the institutions from this webpage. • Only 13% of the questions obtained requested information from the institutions (75 of 567). • The future Transparency Law is insufficient and will not improve access to information in practice Madrid, 9 April 2013 – One year after the entry into the political agenda of the Transparency Law (the draft was presented on March 26, 2012), and approaching the deadline to amend it in Congress, citizens still have not received appropriate attention from

The Spanish institutions have ignored 54% of information requests after 12 months of public debate on transparencyHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:46+01:00

More Information and Evidence Needed on Immigration Detention

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:46+01:00

Access Info Europe and The Global Detention Project Begin 33-Country Right to Information Investigation Geneva/Madrid – 14 March 2013 – Access Info Europe and the Global Detention Project have today submitted 66 information requests to 33 governments as part of an initiative aimed at improving transparency of immigration detention practices. The organisations have requested statistics regarding the numbers and types of detainees, as well as details about where people are detained for immigration-related reasons. Immigration detention is the deprivation of liberty of non-citizens for reason related to their residency status. It typically involves locking up asylum seekers and irregular immigrants

More Information and Evidence Needed on Immigration DetentionHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:46+01:00

The Ministry of Agriculture keeps secret the location of the genetically modified commercial fields

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:47+01:00

Friends of the Earth (FOE) and Access Info Europe unite to enforce compliance with European legislation Madrid, 14th of March 2013 – FOE and Access Info Europe have lodged an appeal to the Ministry of agriculture, food and environment demanding that it complies with European standards of transparency and that it publish the exact data about the location of the fields of commercial genetically modified (GM) crops. The appeal challenges the lack of information given by the Ministry in response to a request submitted on 17 December 2012 (available at tuderechoasaber.es). The request called for

The Ministry of Agriculture keeps secret the location of the genetically modified commercial fieldsHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:12:47+01:00