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15 Dec 2015

Update: Slovenian parliament withdraws proposed charges for information requests

2018-11-13T10:04:24+01:00

Madrid, 15 December 2015 – In the face of strong national and international reaction to the proposal to introduce charges for the time of public officials in answering information requests, Slovenian coalition parties today withdrew the problematic amendment to Article 24 of the new Freedom of Information Act from the legislative procedure. This decision was welcomed by Access Info Europe, the Association of Slovenian Journalists, Transparency International Slovenia, and the European Federation of Journalists, who in recent days had raised concerns about the proposed amendment (read the original story from 14 December). We are pleased that coalition parties heard and

Update: Slovenian parliament withdraws proposed charges for information requests2018-11-13T10:04:24+01:00
10 Dec 2015

Electronic ID requirements and government refusal to answer emails force civil society to close Spanish request website

2018-11-13T10:04:25+01:00

Madrid, 10 December 2015 – It is with huge reluctance that Access Info Europe and Civio today announce the closure of the request website “Tu Derecho a Saber” (Your Right to Know) because the need to have an electronic ID and the refusal to respond to emails is making it impossible to help the public send requests. In the first year of implementation of Spain’s much-criticised transparency law, we processed requests manually, using Civio’s electronic ID to send them via the central Transparency Portal’s complex verification systems, something that was taking up to a few hours per day. On 10

Electronic ID requirements and government refusal to answer emails force civil society to close Spanish request website2018-11-13T10:04:25+01:00
27 Nov 2015

Documents used in decision making are not “internal” rules Spain’s Transparency Council

2018-11-13T10:04:36+01:00

Madrid, 27 November 2015 – In another important decision from Spain’s Transparency Council, Access Info Europe has been granted access to Spanish government progress reports on Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitments. The Transparency Council’s decision rejects arguments by the Ministry of the Presidency that these documents, which were used as part of the decision-making process, are “internal documents.” In August 2015, Access Info’s director Helen Darbishire asked for copies of OGP-related documents in order to get an insight into what the government is doing in implementing the action plan. This request was necessary because, unlike in other OGP countries, there

Documents used in decision making are not “internal” rules Spain’s Transparency Council2018-11-13T10:04:36+01:00
23 Nov 2015

Decision Making Transparency is an Essential Part of Open Government Access Info Europe tells UK FOI Commission

2018-11-13T10:04:36+01:00

Madrid, 23 November 2015 – Access Info Europe has warned that any move by the UK government to amend the FOI law by expanding blanket exceptions to decision-making transparency or by extending a political veto over disclosure, would be an attack on international standards. These concerns were set out in a submission to the government-appointed FOI Commission, which has been criticised for being stacked with transparency sceptics. The Commission’s consultation document opened the possibility of extending the use of Cabinet vetoes to block disclosure of information, even after a judicial decision to do so. Access Info Europe called for the

Decision Making Transparency is an Essential Part of Open Government Access Info Europe tells UK FOI Commission2018-11-13T10:04:36+01:00
20 Nov 2015

Giegold Report Welcomed but Could Be More Ambitious Says Access Info

2018-11-13T10:04:36+01:00

Madrid, 20 November 2015 - Access Info Europe today welcomed recommendations by Sven Giegold MEP, Rapporteur for the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, on greater transparency and accountability ofEU institutions, but has warned that they do not go far enough in addressing the need to improve access to EU documents in law and in practice. The pro-transparency organisation pointed to the need for exceptions to the right of access to EU documents be subject to a public interest test, and the importance of removing barriers to access such as the requirement since April 2014 that requesters must supply

Giegold Report Welcomed but Could Be More Ambitious Says Access Info2018-11-13T10:04:36+01:00
20 Nov 2015

Access Info presents: The Berlaymont Snail!

2018-11-13T10:04:37+01:00

It’s just like the good old days: the doorbell rings, and there is the postman with a registered letter – how exciting!! - you sign and open it, but nowadays you are more likely to find it’s a letter from the European Commission refusing to grant access to this or that document. These days we refer to the postal service as “snail mail”. And yes, once again the Berlaymont Snail has arrived in Madrid to deliver a letter to Access Info! Except that the refusal to grant access to information had already arrived ten days ago via AsktheEU.org. The Commission's

Access Info presents: The Berlaymont Snail!2018-11-13T10:04:37+01:00
20 Nov 2015

Journalists take European Parliament to Court over access to MEPs’ expenses

2018-11-13T10:04:37+01:00

Madrid, 20 November 2015 - The refusal by the European Parliament to make public details on spending of MEPs expenses allowances on grounds of personal data protection has been challenged before the European Court of Justice by a network of journalists from each of the 28 Member States. This initiative was started by Slovenian journalist Anuška Delić who discovered that she could get information about the expenses of members of the Slovenian parliament but not about Slovenian MEPs in Brussels. Welcoming the legal challenge, Access Info argued that the European Parliament should be setting a standard for levels of transparency

Journalists take European Parliament to Court over access to MEPs’ expenses2018-11-13T10:04:37+01:00
12 Nov 2015

Access Info wins access to names of participants in meetings held by Spanish government

2018-11-13T10:04:37+01:00

Madrid, 12 November 2015 – In an important ruling from Spain’s Transparency Council, Access Info Europe has won access to the names of participants in meetings held to discuss the Open Government Partnership (OGP). Welcoming this standard-setting ruling Access Info Europe noted that it should contribute to genuine accountability of decision-making processes. Helen Darbishire of Access Info, who presented the complaint, said “it is essential to know who precisely gets to participate in meetings inside government, be they public officials, experts, lobbyists, or others.” Importantly the Transparency Council confirmed that Spain’s 2013 Transparency Law anticipates provision of information which “merely

Access Info wins access to names of participants in meetings held by Spanish government2018-11-13T10:04:37+01:00
21 Oct 2015

Access Info welcomes Cyprus’ commitment to strong FOI law

2018-11-13T10:04:38+01:00

Madrid, 21 October 2015 - Access Info Europe has welcomed Cypriot Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou’s commitment to adopt a strong access to information (Freedom of Information) law that will be “one of the best in the European Union”. The pro-transparency organisation, headquartered in Madrid, urges the Cypriot government to act on this promise, noting that in order to bring the law into line with European and international standards, the government should recognise the fundamental nature of the right, including all public bodies in the law, reducing the number of exceptions, and removing other obstacles such as the requirement to provide

Access Info welcomes Cyprus’ commitment to strong FOI law2018-11-13T10:04:38+01:00
30 Sep 2015

Civil society calls for reform of trialogues in a letter to EU Commission, Parliament and Council

2020-01-29T11:25:49+01:00

Madrid, 30 September 2015 - Access Info Europe along with European Digital Rights (EDRi) and other 16 signatory organisations, today sent an open letter to European Parliament President Martin Schulz, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Council Secretary-General Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen, calling for a major reform of the so-called “trialogues”. The letter calls for public access to be granted to the trialogue meetings, and for the systematic and timely publication of all trialogue documents. The letter remains open to signatories. “Citizens should be able to scrutinise EU decision-making,” said Andreas Pavlou, Campaigner Researcher at Access Info Europe. “The lack of transparency around

Civil society calls for reform of trialogues in a letter to EU Commission, Parliament and Council2020-01-29T11:25:49+01:00
Original content developed by Access Info Europe and is made public under a Creative Commons Attribution, Share Alike licence.