The Council of the EU is failing to comply with EU transparency rules by not respecting time frames for responding, applying too many extensions to requests, and not informing all requesters of their right to appeal when information is denied, according to a report published today by Access Info Europe. Analysis of 50 access to documents requests submitted to the Council between 2011 and 2013 via the AsktheEU.org platform, found that the average time for answering was 20 working days, significantly over the maximum 15 working days permitted by EU law. Requests which resulted in partial denials of information were

Published in October 2009, the Aid Transparency Toolkit is a guide for civil society organisations and members of the public interested in knowing more about how aid works and where the money goes to get the answers to their questions. This Toolkit is designed for CSOs in the north and south working on aid effectiveness, monitoring the implementation of aid projects, seeking to participate in decision making on development strategies or investigating corruption in aid funding and delivery. It can also be used by individuals from donor or recipient countries who are intersted in knowing about aid funds. The toolkit

To celebrate Europe Day, Access Info launched in 2013 a citizen-friendly Guide on Access to EU Documents, calling on members of the public and civil society organisations to exercise their rights and file access to documents requests. The EU has recognised a fundamental right of access to EU documents, but the EU's freedom of information law – which goes by the catchy title of 'Regulation 1049/2001' – remains underused by the population at large. The guide demystifies the process of asking for EU documents explaining step by step how to make a request. Access Info hopes the guide will encourage

Public participation can change the way public policies are developed, reducing capture by special interest groups, and ensuring that decisions take into account the views and needs of affected communities. Although information alone is not sufficient—additional mechanisms are necessary for receiving input from the public, reviewing it, and providing feedback on how this input was taken into consideration—meaningful participation exercises are contingent on the public having timely access to the same data as the officials making the decision. Participation cannot be effective or equal if individuals have to file requests and wait for an answer. The role of transparency in

Madrid, 8 July 2013 – The largest analysis of the worldwide movement for access to information, The Global Right to Information Update was published today by the Freedom of Information Advocates Network. The publication looks at how the movement for the right to information has brought issues of transparency and open government to the forefront of political and economic debate – as reflected in recent weeks in open data commitments made by the G8 – and maps out the challenges lying ahead. The authors, human rights advocates from seven continents, report on the threat to progress made so far posed