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13 Jul 2020

Why continued support for transparency is essential to recovering from the coronavirus crisis

2020-07-13T10:08:05+02:00

Madrid, 13 July 2020 – Access Info Europe has joined 83 civil society organisations from around the world in calling on donors to continue funding transparency and accountability in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis. In an open letter, the signatories welcomed efforts by donors to redirect funds towards potential new needs arising from the covid-19 pandemic, but also stressed the need to keep investment in civil society work on access to information and data disclosure during the recovery phase and beyond. “It has become crystal clear during the past four months that transparent, open,

Why continued support for transparency is essential to recovering from the coronavirus crisis2020-07-13T10:08:05+02:00
9 Jul 2020

Pro Bono Network: Lawyers for Transparency

2021-06-02T13:07:03+02:00

Madrid, 9 July 2020 –  Access Info Europe has created a pro bono legal network of lawyers from across Europe with varying legal backgrounds who are willing to offer assistance to requesters seeking access to EU documents, in particular journalists and civil society organisations. The first training of these lawyers took place on 8 June 2020, when the pro bono lawyers heard from lawyers who are leading experts in EU transparency. Onno Brouwer and Elske Raedts, addressed the main exceptions used to withhold documents at the EU level and identified key pro transparency cases from the Court of Justice of

Pro Bono Network: Lawyers for Transparency2021-06-02T13:07:03+02:00
25 Jun 2020

The urgent need for data collection on gender equality in Europe

2022-10-26T12:39:14+02:00

Madrid, 25 June 2020 –  The lack of publication of SDG data on Gender Equality in Europe is partly down to many countries not having laws requiring it to be collected, according to participants in a webinar on “Opening Up SDG 5” held by Access Info Europe on 18 June 2020. As a result, civil society organisations don’t have the data to engage in evidence-based policy debates. Access Info found in a recent survey which looked into the publication of SDG data that, on average, only 57% of gender equality data was published across Europe. Discussing the reasons behind

The urgent need for data collection on gender equality in Europe2022-10-26T12:39:14+02:00
17 Jun 2020

Access Info joins the UNCAC Coalition Board

2020-06-17T18:27:26+02:00

Madrid, 17 June 2020 – Access Info Europe, represented by its director, Helen Darbishire, has been elected to the UNCAC Coalition Coordinating Committee, the network that coordinates civil society activity in monitoring and promoting the UN Convention against Corruption. Access Info was elected to one of the two international seats on the UNCAC Coalition Coordinating Committee, with 75.7% of the votes cast in the first round of voting. Access Info joins Transparency International, represented by Gillian Dell, as the two international organisations on the UNCAC Coalition Board. In its nomination for the UNCAC Coalition Coordinating Committee, Access Info identified three

Access Info joins the UNCAC Coalition Board2020-06-17T18:27:26+02:00
10 Jun 2020

EU urged to end SLAPPs: Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation

2020-06-10T19:01:09+02:00

Madrid, 9 June 2020 – Access Info Europe today joined 119 NGOs from across Europe in calling on the European Union to protect freedom of expression and information by acting to end the use of gag lawsuits to harass and silence investigative journalists and public interest defenders. In an open letter, the organisations expressed their concern about SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), which are brought by powerful actors intending to intimidate and prevent watchdogs such as journalists, activists, trades unions, media, and civil society organisations, from holding them accountable. The organisations warned about the harmful effects of this type

EU urged to end SLAPPs: Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation2020-06-10T19:01:09+02:00
1 Jun 2020

AsktheEU Pro, the all-in-one FOI toolkit for professional journalists and researchers

2020-08-11T10:56:26+02:00

Madrid, 1 June 2020 - Pro-transparency human rights organisation Access Info Europe is glad to launch AsktheEU Pro, an improved version of the AsktheEU.org account designed to upgrade journalists and researchers’ experience when requesting access to documents from the EU bodies and institutions. The new advanced functionalities of the platform include the possibility for Pro users to keep requests and responses private for 3, 6 or 12 months’ periods, which can be extended for an unlimited number of times. Access Info believes that this will help journalists and researchers wishing to keep their stories or investigations confidential before they are

AsktheEU Pro, the all-in-one FOI toolkit for professional journalists and researchers2020-08-11T10:56:26+02:00
27 May 2020

Access Info supports principles on right of access to information during health crisis by Alianza Regional

2020-06-04T17:34:33+02:00

Madrid, 27 May 2020- Access Info Europe and 17 NGOs from Latin America today called on governments in the region to guarantee the right of access to informaton during the Covid-19 pandemic, to prioritise the disclosure of emergency-related information and to ensure that information reaches the most vulnerable populations.  The proposal also highlights the negative consequences of the absence of policies on transparency and access to information. These include the authorities’ lack of coordination as well as limited performance of the agencies guaranteeing bodies for the full exercise of the right of access to information, which the text defines as

Access Info supports principles on right of access to information during health crisis by Alianza Regional2020-06-04T17:34:33+02:00
22 May 2020

Participation: Citizens need Information! YOU4EU-Citizen Participation 2.0 project

2020-05-22T09:07:24+02:00

Madrid, 22 May 2020 – Citizens across Europe need better access to information to participate in decision-making processes at European, national, and local level. This is one of the main findings by Access Info Europe and partners of the “YOU4EU” project, which has been completed following two years of research and campaigning on civic participation.  An extensive study carried out by Access Info (Spain), Belgrade Open School (Serbia), GONG (Croatia), Institute Alternative (Montenegro) and PiNA (Slovenia) also found that policy-makers are failing to communicate adequately with citizens, even though the public is  keen to learn about their governments and institutions,

Participation: Citizens need Information! YOU4EU-Citizen Participation 2.0 project2020-05-22T09:07:24+02:00
8 May 2020

Spain: Access Info requests names of members of technical committee advising government on unwinding the lockdown

2021-04-01T14:29:38+02:00

Madrid, 8 May 2020- Access Info today presented two information requests to the Spanish government about the management of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first request, Access Info asked for the names and professional profiles of the members of the Technical Team that is advising the government on the region-by-region winding down of Spain’s very tight lockdown. In a second request, Access Info has asked for access to all the minutes of meetings and reports from the Scientific Committee that has been advising the government on managing the pandemic since March 2020. The government yesterday refused to provide these names to

Spain: Access Info requests names of members of technical committee advising government on unwinding the lockdown2021-04-01T14:29:38+02:00
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