FacebookXInstagramYouTubeEmailWhatsAppLinkedIn
2 Dec 2016

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

2018-11-13T10:03:57+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 Justice2018-11-13T10:03:57+01:00
30 Sep 2016

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

2018-11-13T10:03:59+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-EU2018-11-13T10:03:59+01:00
28 Sep 2016

ALTER-EU reaction to Commission’s announcement on transparency register

2018-11-13T10:10:35+01:00

Madrid/Brussels, 28 September 2016 - The European Commission has today published its proposal for a new inter-institutional agreement on the lobby transparency register [1], and the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU) makes the following reaction: "The Commission’s response is too little too late. If you look at the political situation in Europe, the Commission should do its utmost to regain public trust. People want to know who their leaders are really working for, especially in the light of the scandals of former Commissioners Barroso and Kroes taking on high-level jobs with big multinational companies. This could have

ALTER-EU reaction to Commission’s announcement on transparency register2018-11-13T10:10:35+01:00
26 Sep 2016

Media Briefing: Busting the spin on lobby transparency

2018-11-13T10:03:59+01:00

Madrid, 26 September 2016 - The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU) has published a recap briefing for journalists about the limitations to the current EU lobby transparency register regime, in preparation for the expected proposal on a new register following a College of Commissioners meeting on 28 September. The briefing by ALTER-EU, of which Access Info Europe is a steering committee member, addresses questions such as will the new register be "mandatory" in reality? Will the Commission get to grips with the current lobby register's problem with dodgy data? And what is the added value of bringing

Media Briefing: Busting the spin on lobby transparency2018-11-13T10:03:59+01:00
14 Sep 2016

European Commission Withdraws Automated August Holiday Delay Message

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

Madrid, 14 September 2016 - Access Info Europe has welcomed the decision by the European Commission not to repeat August's automatic "out-of-office" style message warning requesters that there might be delays in processing their requests due to the summer holidays. This decision came after Access Info's Executive Director Helen Darbishire sent a letter to the Commission on 1 September 2016 expressing concerns about the automatic response, which read "Due to the holiday period in August, some delays may occur in the treatment of your access-to-documents request." In a rapid reply sent on 7 September 2016, the head of the EU's

European Commission Withdraws Automated August Holiday Delay Message2018-11-13T10:04:00+01:00
5 Sep 2016

Record-keeping and timely publication of information are essential for meaningful participation Access Info tells Council of Europe

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

Madrid, 5 September 2016 – Access Info has submitted recommendations to the Council of Europe on how to improve its Draft guidelines for meaningful civil participation in political decision-making so as to ensure that records are kept and that there is timely publication of relevant documents. This recommendation comes after research across Europe by Access Info and partners revealed abysmal levels of record keeping. For example, of 21 decision-making processes in nine countries, for half of them (10) no minutes of meetings had been created. Similarly, the research found that for only four of 34 processes were documents submitted by

Record-keeping and timely publication of information are essential for meaningful participation Access Info tells Council of Europe2018-11-13T10:04:00+01:00
2 Sep 2016

Your fundamental right might have to wait, I’m out of office

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

Madrid, 2 September 2016 - Since the beginning of August, requesters of access to EU documents may have noticed the following automated messages from the Secretariat General warning them about possible delays to dealing with requests: “Due to the holiday period in August, some delays may occur in the treatment of your access-to-documents request, especially where the processing of data requires the consultation of national administrations, external organisations or other services.” So far during August, Access Info has counted 22 instances of this specific message appearing on the AsktheEU.org request platform. It is unacceptable for citizens to have to anticipate

Your fundamental right might have to wait, I’m out of office2018-11-13T10:04:00+01:00
14 Jul 2016

EU institutions urged to adopt Ombudsman proposals for trilogue transparency

2018-11-13T09:46:11+01:00

Madrid, 14 July 2016 - European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly today published key recommendations calling on the EU institutions to increase transparency of negotiations over future legislation, the EU’s traditionally secretive “trilogue” meetings. Access Info welcomed O’Reilly’s call for proactive publication of key information to shed light on this secretive part of the EU legislative process, noting that the EU treaties require openness in the legislative process. “It is high time the EU institutions act upon the fact trilogues are part of the EU legislative process and subject them to the same standards of transparency, public scrutiny, and participation as any

EU institutions urged to adopt Ombudsman proposals for trilogue transparency2018-11-13T09:46:11+01:00
8 Jul 2016

Post it-sized minutes of European Council meetings unacceptable says Access Info Europe

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

Madrid, 8 July 2016 – Access Info Europe has denounced the European Council’s recurrent lack of detail in its record-keeping, something highlighted by the shockingly minimalist minutes of the 17-18 March 2016 European Council meeting during which the so-called EU-Turkey “agreement” was concluded. The minutes of this significant meeting on the refugee crisis, which produced a controversial solution – many experts have raised doubts about its conformity with EU and international law – are so brief that they fit into a post it: “Post it-size accounts of high-level decision making about vital human rights issues are entirely unacceptable,” commented Helen

Post it-sized minutes of European Council meetings unacceptable says Access Info Europe2018-11-13T10:04:01+01:00
6 Jun 2016

Access Info defends citizens’ right to know as part of lobby transparency reforms

2018-11-13T10:04:10+01:00

Madrid, 6 June 2016 – Access Info Europe has called on the European Union and the Council of Europe to ensure that future lobby control rules that both are in the process of developing are fully in line with The International Standards for Lobbying Regulation. In submissions to separate public consultations held by the EU and Council of Europe, the pro-transparency organisation underscored the need for lobbying regulation to ensure that full information on the activity of lobbyists is both recorded and published. In response to the EU consultation Access Info proposed EU institutions keep better records of interactions with

Access Info defends citizens’ right to know as part of lobby transparency reforms2018-11-13T10:04:10+01:00
Original content developed by Access Info Europe and is made public under a Creative Commons Attribution, Share Alike licence.