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13 Dec 2016

Leave no trace? How to combat off the record government

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:57+01:00

[Article first published by Progressive Economy @ TASC] Dublin, 13 December 2016 - While historical archives are a rich part of our cultural heritage, there are many day-to-day reasons why we should care about how governments and public bodies currently make and keep records of their actions and decisions. At a very basic level, records and are vital for good administration and efficiency. Records – like minutes of meetings, briefing documents and memos – tell us what, where and when something was done and why a decision was made. Records also provide a ‘paper trail’ of evidence for accountability purposes,

Leave no trace? How to combat off the record governmentHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:57+01:00

12 Dec 2016

Over 50 Spanish constitutional experts urge recognition of access to information as a fundamental right

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:57+01:00

Madrid, 12 December 2016 - Over 50 of Spain’s top constitutional experts, lawyers, and academics have called upon the Spanish government to recognise access to information as a fundamental right in line with international jurisprudence which links the right to information to freedom of expression. The experts insist that there is no need for a constitutional reform as the Spanish Constitution already establishes the right to information (Article 20.1.d) and freedom of expression (20.1.a). In the letter, released to coincide with the second anniversary of the entry into force of Spain’s Transparency Law (10 December 2014), the signatories recognised the

Over 50 Spanish constitutional experts urge recognition of access to information as a fundamental rightHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:57+01:00

2 Dec 2016

Access Info challenges European Commission secrecy around EU-Turkey refugee deal legal advice before the European Court of Justice

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:57+01:00

Madrid, 2 December 2016 – Access Info Europe is taking the European Commission to the General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union to obtain its legal analysis of this year’s controversial EU-Turkey deal on return of refugees to Turkey. The 18 March 2016 deal – officially “statement” – which is having a direct impact in the lives of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers fleeing war - was much-criticized by human rights groups for being out of line with international human rights and humanitarian law. Access Info Europe submitted two access to information requests asking for

Access Info challenges European Commission secrecy around EU-Turkey refugee deal legal advice before the European Court of JusticeHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:57+01:00

24 Nov 2016

Civil society calls on Spanish Government to be open about the Open Government Partnership – again!

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:58+01:00

Madrid, 24 November 2016 – A letter from seventeen (17) Spanish civil society organisations sent today to the Spanish government calls for information about progress on the third Open Government Partnership Action Plan, as well as urging the Spanish authorities to send ministerial level representatives to the OGP summit, to be held in Paris on 7-9 December 2016. The letter from members of the Coalicíon Pro Acceso[1], also signed by five (5) individual transparency experts, notes that Paris is a high level summit, and at least 32 countries, including France, Germany and the UK, will be sending heads of state

Civil society calls on Spanish Government to be open about the Open Government Partnership – again!Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:58+01:00

24 Nov 2016

Europe: access to information in practice, not just on paper

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:58+01:00

[Article first published by the Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso] Long established and widely recognized, the right to access to information is severely curtailed in many European countries due to deficient implementation of existing law In case you missed it, this year marks the 250th anniversary since the world’s first transparency law was adopted, in Sweden in 1766. At a quick glance, it seems we have a lot to celebrate in Europe – every country on the continent (bar Cyprus and Luxembourg which have draft laws) now has a transparency law that gives citizens the right of access to government-held information.

Europe: access to information in practice, not just on paperHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:58+01:00

14 Nov 2016

Spanish Transparency Council confirms that Agendas of Cabinet meetings of the Government is public information

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:58+01:00

Madrid, 14 November 2016 – Access Info today welcomed the recent ruling by the Spanish Transparency Council that agendas of Cabinet meetings constitute information that should be available for public scrutiny in accordance with the obligations set out in Spain’s Transparency Law. The Council’s important Decision rejected the arguments of the Ministry of the Presidency, concluding that publication of the red and green index[1] in the agendas is not “internal information” and does not harm “the confidentiality of the discussions” of the Spanish Cabinet. “This very important decision gives the public the chance to know what topics will be discussed

Spanish Transparency Council confirms that Agendas of Cabinet meetings of the Government is public informationHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:58+01:00

10 Nov 2016

One step forward, two steps back: New Italian FOIA fails to improve adequate appeals mechanism

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:59+01:00

Madrid, 10 November 2016 - Access Info Europe has expressed serious concern that Italy’s newly-adopted “FOIA” still falls far behind international standards after an analysis of the quality of the law ranked Italy 54th out of 111 countries. The pro-transparency organisation criticised the decree, passed in May this year, specifically because it weakens the appeals system by abandoning Italy’s Information Commission as a national oversight body. “Italy’s new FOIA forces requesters to go through the infamously-slow Italian court system in order to challenge non-disclosure of information, making it difficult to hold public officials accountable and near-impossible for citizens to participate

One step forward, two steps back: New Italian FOIA fails to improve adequate appeals mechanismHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:59+01:00

7 Oct 2016

Global Civil Society Critiques Lack of Transparency in Spain

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:59+01:00

Madrid, 7 October 2016 – Access Info Europe, Civio, and a total of 22 civil society organisations[1] meeting in Madrid at the International Open Data Conference, have sent a letter to the Spanish government expressing serious concerns about levels of transparency in Spain. Welcoming the hosting of the IODC by the Spanish government and some recent advances, the organisations noted that there is a critical need to improve open data and open government. “We are in a country where the government, surreal as it sounds, is litigating against the Transparency Council to resist publishing documents related to the Open Government

Global Civil Society Critiques Lack of Transparency in SpainHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:59+01:00

30 Sep 2016

Formal complaint to President Juncker on Barroso, Kroes and De Gucht revolving door cases filed by ALTER-EU

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:59+01:00

[UPDATE - 8 November 2016 - On 2 November 2016 ALTER-EU responded to the Ad Hoc Ethics Committee opinion which said Barroso’s new role at Goldman Sachs International was not a breach of the rules. Read the statement here.] [UPDATE - 13 October 2016 - On 12 October 2016 ALTER-EU handed over to to Secretary-General Alexander Italianer the 63,000 signatures gathered through the WeMove petition Barroso, don’t sell our public interest to Goldman Sachs, demanding greater ethics and transparency and to put a stop to revolving doors.] Madrid-Brussels, 30 September 2016 - The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU)

Formal complaint to President Juncker on Barroso, Kroes and De Gucht revolving door cases filed by ALTER-EUHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:59+01:00

28 Sep 2016

Statement by European RTI Community on the world’s First Official Access to Information Day!

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:10:35+01:00

Madrid, 28 September 2016 - On the first officially-recognised International Right to Know Day [1], European civil society groups working on the right of access to information today raised concerns that a lack of government transparency is damaging democratic processes, thereby facilitating rising mistrust and demagogic populism in Europe. Recent monitoring by civil society organisations has demonstrated that while significant progress has been made - there are now 111 access to information laws globally and governments regularly publish key datasets on spending and services - there remain serious shortcomings with transparency of decision making which is shielding much government activity

Statement by European RTI Community on the world’s First Official Access to Information Day!Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:10:35+01:00