legal advice

8 Feb 2018

Secrecy over international relations trumps transparency of EU-Turkey deal

Helen Darbishire2019-11-07T10:28:33+01:00

Madrid, 8 February 2018 - The General Court of the European Union has ruled that the public does not have the right to access the European Commission’s legal advice on the March 2016 EU-Turkey agreement on returning migrants and asylum seekers from Greece to Turkey. The Commission had applied a series of exceptions to documents requested by Access Info Europe, documents that the court process revealed included late night emails between high level public officials discussing legal and political aspects of the controversial deal. The judgments shed further light on the scope and application by the EU Commission of the

Secrecy over international relations trumps transparency of EU-Turkey dealHelen Darbishire2019-11-07T10:28:33+01:00

8 Feb 2018

The documents in dispute: The European Commission’s legal advice on the EU-Turkey deal

Helen Darbishire2019-11-07T10:29:55+01:00

From 7 March 2016, the day when a pre-agreement with Turkey was reached, to 12 April 2016, when the deal was already under implementation, the European Commission consulted with its legal services on a wide range of issues related to the legality of the EU-Turkey agreement. These consultations resulted in a total of 11 documents – sometimes produced at late hours in the night – which were exchanged between the different actors involved in the making of the deal, accompanied with telephone conversations. Access to that information was challenged by Access Info Europe in two cases before the General Court

The documents in dispute: The European Commission’s legal advice on the EU-Turkey dealHelen Darbishire2019-11-07T10:29:55+01:00

28 Jul 2017

Ombudsman asked to investigate refusal to publish legal advice on the legal basis for EU lobby register

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:18+01:00

Madrid/Brussels, 28 July 2017 – With upcoming negotiations on reforming the state of EU lobbying transparency imminent, the legal advice given to the Commission and Council on the legal basis for lobby reform is back under the spotlight following appeals this week to the EU Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly. Access Info Europe's and MEP Dennis de Jong's parallel complaints to the EU watchdog challenge the refusals by the two institutions to make transparent their legal advice on whether or not it’s possible under the EU Treaties to set up a mandatory EU lobby register with sanctions. “Civil society and MEPs are

Ombudsman asked to investigate refusal to publish legal advice on the legal basis for EU lobby registerHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:18+01:00

29 Mar 2016

Tenemos Derecho a Saber: ¿es legal el Acuerdo UE-Turquía? Lo preguntamos.

Helen Darbishire2020-02-14T13:54:31+01:00

Madrid, 18 de marzo de 2016 – Mientras que los líderes de la UE se reúnen en Bruselas para concluir los detalles del controvertido acuerdo de la semana pasada sobre el retorno de refugiados desde Grecia a Turquía, Access Info Europe lanza una campaña de acceso a la información para investigar a fondo la legalidad de este tratado y pregunta a las instituciones de la UE si buscaron asesoramiento jurídico a la hora de elaborar el tratado o llevaron a cabo una evaluación correcta del impacto sobre los derechos humanos que éste supone. Las tres primeras solicitudes de documentos, enviadas al Consejo de la

Tenemos Derecho a Saber: ¿es legal el Acuerdo UE-Turquía? Lo preguntamos.Helen Darbishire2020-02-14T13:54:31+01:00