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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
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
19 May 2016

Spain’s extortionate Sunshine Tax is “a final solution for renewable energy”: What do the documents tell us?

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

Madrid, 19 May 2016 - On the day that the news is full of the fact that Portugal this month had four straight days of zero emissions energy production using renewable sources (full story here), documents obtained by Access Info Europe using Spain’s Transparency Law reveal the tense political battles behind a controversial 2015 law that imposes prohibitive taxes on use of home-produced energy (such as from solar power). Spain – a country replete with sunshine, wind and waves – could be breaking the same records as Portugal, but instead the renewables sector has been undermined and citizens who generate

Spain’s extortionate Sunshine Tax is “a final solution for renewable energy”: What do the documents tell us?2018-11-13T10:04:11+01:00
12 May 2016

Sociedad civil va a los tribunales para obtener documentos del lobby en la ley de Autoconsumo

2018-11-13T10:10:41+01:00

[ACTUALIZACIÓN - Madrid, 10 de marzo de 2017 - El pasado 7 de febrero de 2017, el Juzgado Central de lo Contencioso-Administrativo de Madrid emitió sentencia en primera instancia desestimando la demanda y confirmando los términos de la resolución del Consejo de Transparencia y Buen Gobierno. Access Info Europe y la Plataforma por un Nuevo Modelo Energético han recurrido esta decisión. Actualmente está a la espera de los próximos pasos a seguir dentro del proceso.] Madrid 12 de Mayo de 2016 – Access Info Europe y la Plataforma por un Nuevo Modelo Energético recurren ante los tribunales la decisión del

Sociedad civil va a los tribunales para obtener documentos del lobby en la ley de Autoconsumo2018-11-13T10:10:41+01:00
27 Abr 2016

La regulación del lobby en España da sus primeros pasos, con carencias significativas

2018-11-13T10:06:40+01:00

Madrid, 27 de abril de 2016 – La propuesta del para la creación de un registro de lobbies obligatorio en el Congreso de los Diputados, que se debate  hoy  en el parlamento, es necesaria pero no está a la altura de los estándares internacionales según Access Info Europe, ONG experta en temas de transparencia. Access Info insta al Congreso de los Diputados a desarrollar con mayor detalle la propuesta, mediante un proceso participativo y que incluya los Estándares Internacionales para la Regulación del Lobby. El texto presentado por el Grupo Parlamentario Catalán (Democracia i Libertat) a comienzos de abril incluye

La regulación del lobby en España da sus primeros pasos, con carencias significativas2018-11-13T10:06:40+01:00
18 Abr 2016

Will Timmermans really shed light on lobbying in Brussels?

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

This article was originally published by ALTER-EU. Brussels, 18 April 2016 - Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans' launch in March of a consultation to improve the EU lobby register came seven months late. Does it herald a genuine step forward towards improved lobby transparency in Brussels? A database of organisations working to influence EU legislation, the European transparency register was designed to boost the image and integrity of the institutions. The Commission's latest moves to reassess the tool are welcome, however campaigners and veterans of such processes would be forgiven for being a little weary at the thought of yet another

Will Timmermans really shed light on lobbying in Brussels?2018-11-13T10:04:11+01:00
22 Mar 2016

Member state offices in Brussels wide open to corporate lobbyists

2018-11-13T10:04:12+01:00

Brussels/Madrid, 22 March 2016 – Corporate lobbyists enjoy widespread access to member state representations by exploiting loopholes in EU transparency rules according to the first ever study on lobbying activities at national government offices in Brussels.[1] The study, ‘National representations in Brussels: open for corporate lobbyists’ by the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU), reveals how these government missions to EU institutions are a target for big business lobbyists looking to promote their agendas. Vicky Cann, Corporate Europe Observatory, said:“This report demonstrates that there is a worrying level of corporate lobbying directed at the EU's permanent representations. These

Member state offices in Brussels wide open to corporate lobbyists2018-11-13T10:04:12+01:00
17 Dic 2015

Civil society expose holes in EU lobby transparency rules

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

This post was originally published by ALTER-EU. Madrid/Brussels, 17 December 2015 - Research by ALTER-EU member groups Corporate Europe Observatory, Access Info Europe and Friends of the Earth Europe shows that well over 90 per cent of meetings between DG FISMA (the Commission's department for financial regulation) officials not covered by transparency rules and lobbyists are with the corporate sector. Since the end of 2014, following an initiative by new European Commission President Juncker, the meetings of commissioners, their cabinets and directors-general with lobbyists are published online. This transparency initiative has enabled the public to see which lobbyists get most

Civil society expose holes in EU lobby transparency rules2018-11-13T10:04:24+01:00
Original content developed by Access Info Europe and is made public under a Creative Commons Attribution, Share Alike licence.