BUSINESS TRANSPARENCY
Companies operating in the public sphere should be accountable for their actions and impacts on human rights and the environment, and in order to achieve this, transparency is essential.
» Through legislation: The European Union, for example, has adopted a series of legislation that requires companies in specific sectors to report on their impacts and activities. Find out more here » Through the fundamental right to information: Access to information is a fundamental human right and therefore it cannot be violated by any private actor. However, private actors not yet obliged to respond to freedom of information requests; except for in South Africa.
» Business Transparency News: We keep an eye on corporate transparency legislation.
» Company Ownership Transparency: We use access to information laws to test accessibility of corporate information in practice and to push for improved transparency.
BUSINESS TRANSPARENCY NEWS
Access Info Europe reiterates call for Open Company Registers
As 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.
Call to protect EU’s Number One Anti-Corruption Instrument: Open Company Registers!
Brussels, 9 December 2020 – On International Anti-Corruption Day 2020, 101 leading transparency, anti-corruption and open data organisations along with investigative journalists from across Europe have called on the European Commission and national governments to act to ensure that company registers, including ownership and corporate structure data, are freely accessible
Pushing for beneficial ownership transparency in Europe
[Article first published by the UNCAC Coalition Blog] Andreas Pavlou, RTI Campaigner and Researcher Madrid, 11 April 2017 - Earlier this year, the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs and Civil Liberties committees voted to strengthen beneficial ownership transparency rules across the European Union as part of
European Parliament votes in favour of stronger EU-wide beneficial ownership transparency rules
Madrid, 1 March 2017 - Access Info Europe has welcomed yesterday’s vote by the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs and Civil Liberties committees to strengthen beneficial ownership transparency rules across the European Union. The amendments to the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive agreed by MEPs would mean EU citizens could
MEPs urged to ensure transparency and accountability of EU fishing fleet operating internationally
Brussels/Madrid, 25 January 2017 – Over forty civil society organisations have endorsed a joint letter initiated by Access Info Europe and Oceana to urge Members of the European Parliament to vote in favour of a proposed Regulation that will help fight illegal fishing by increasing transparency about the owners of