Madrid, 10 December 2019 – Access Info presents today at the pre-session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva its report on the violations of the Right of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression that take place in Spain. Joan Barata, expert on freedom of expression and member of the Platform in Defence of Freedom of Information (PDLI), presents the report to the Council today. This report was sent to the Council in July 2019 and was prepared in collaboration with PDLI, the Federation of Journalists' Unions (FeSP), the Criminal Policy Study Group (GEPC) and the Research

Madrid, 10 December 2019 – Five years after Spain’s transparency law came into force on International Human Rights Days, 10 December 2014, Access Info urged the Spanish government to take bolder steps towards complying with international standards on this fundamental right, and to ensure citizens can exercise their right to information without the multiple obstacles that are currently resulting in serious underuse of the law. Access Info highlighted the low number of requests – under 5,000 per year at the central government level, and with a shocking 69% of requests being made by men, just 26% by women and the

Madrid, 6 November 2019 – In advance of the 10 November general elections in Spain, Access Info has been in touch with the main political parties to urge them to strengthen the Transparency Law (which came into force on 10 December 2014), and to adopt laws on regulation of lobbying and on whistleblower protection. Access Info asked all the political parties for meetings. We were able to meet with Ciudadanos, Junts per Catalunya, Más País and Podemos. To the remaining parties – ERC, IU, PNV, PP, PSOE, VOX – we sent a document with the 10 Principles of the Coalición

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