20 Jul 2017

Promoting Paris in Zagreb

2021-06-03T17:47:39+02:00

[Post first published on the Open Government Partnership Blog] Helen Darbishire, Executive Director   Zagreb, 20 July 2017 - “It’s really hard to have put a lot of effort into publishing a citizens’ budget and then to have only ten people click on it,” lamented one official in the Croatian Ministry of Finance. This is a classic challenge facing reformers inside government in many OGP countries, who need to be able to motivate their colleagues to organise data into open, accessible formats for public consumption. In spite of the controversy whirling outside about conflicts of interest in the relationship between

Promoting Paris in Zagreb2021-06-03T17:47:39+02:00
7 Jun 2017

Spanish Government takes open government secrecy battle to High Court

2018-11-13T10:03:20+01:00

Madrid, 7 June 2017 – In baffling reluctance to be transparent about its own open government policies, the Spanish Government has appealed to the High Court against last month’s lower court ruling that it should provide Access Info Europe with progress reports on commitments under the Open Government Partnership (OGP). “It’s amazing that the Government is fighting so hard to keep secret information about what it’s doing to advance open government,” stated Helen Darbishire, Executive Director of Access Info Europe. The documents on what each Ministry is doing under the OGP Action Plan were first requested by Access Info Europe

Spanish Government takes open government secrecy battle to High Court2018-11-13T10:03:20+01:00
4 May 2017

Victoria en los tribunales: El Gobierno deberá ser transparente sobre sus políticas de gobierno abierto

2018-11-13T10:06:29+01:00

Madrid, 4 de mayo de 2017 – En una importante victoria para la transparencia en España, el Tribunal de lo Contencioso Administrativo dictamina que el Ministerio de Presidencia debe entregar a Access Info Europe una serie de documentos relacionados con las acciones que el Gobierno lleva a cabo como parte de la Alianza para el Gobierno Abierto (OGP). Esta importante sentencia, que avala la resolución del Consejo de Transparencia y Buen Gobierno (CTBG) y contribuye al desarrollo de jurisprudencia en derecho de acceso a la información en España, establece que para que la sociedad civil pueda participar en la toma

Victoria en los tribunales: El Gobierno deberá ser transparente sobre sus políticas de gobierno abierto2018-11-13T10:06:29+01:00
17 Feb 2017

OGP in Spain: More political will on participation, but legal battles for information are still underway!

2018-11-13T10:03:42+01:00

[Article first published by the Open Government Partnership Blog] Madrid, 17 February 2017 - February has been a month in which numerous high level political figures in Spain have been found guilty and sent to jail on corruption charges, including King Felipe VI’s own brother-in-law sentenced to six years in prison (more info in English here), things are also moving forward in a positive way when it comes to developing open government, with a new political team working on the next OGP Action Plan and Madrid City Hall holding an innovative, large-scale, public consultation as part of its first OGP

OGP in Spain: More political will on participation, but legal battles for information are still underway!2018-11-13T10:03:42+01:00
13 Dic 2016

Leave no trace? How to combat off the record government

2018-11-13T10:03:57+01:00

[Article first published by Progressive Economy @ TASC] Dublin, 13 December 2016 - While historical archives are a rich part of our cultural heritage, there are many day-to-day reasons why we should care about how governments and public bodies currently make and keep records of their actions and decisions. At a very basic level, records and are vital for good administration and efficiency. Records – like minutes of meetings, briefing documents and memos – tell us what, where and when something was done and why a decision was made. Records also provide a ‘paper trail’ of evidence for accountability purposes,

Leave no trace? How to combat off the record government2018-11-13T10:03:57+01:00
14 Jun 2016

Spain: The State of Transparency in a Year of Change

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

Madrid, 14 June 2016 - In the run-up to a second general election in less than a year, Spanish political parties are struggling to live up to their pro-transparency discourse as they offer voters weak transparency agendas for the coming legislative term. As campaigning for the 26 June elections swings into full gear, Access Info Europe is running a reality check on the state of transparency in Spain: what is being done, what isn’t, and what needs to be done to guarantee citizens’ right to know. Second election, halved commitments When at the beginning of the month the Access Info

Spain: The State of Transparency in a Year of Change2018-11-13T10:04:10+01:00
3 May 2016

Civil society urges OGP Steering Committee to undertake strong reforms and rally its core values

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

Madrid, 3 May 2016 - The Open Government Partnership is in need of substantial reforms in order for it to become a real actor of change for greater transparency, participation and accountability worldwide, Access Info Europe and Alianza Regional have stated in an open letter sent to the organisation’s Steering Committee. The letter, supported by 64 civil society organisations, addresses five areas of improvement aiming to increase the OGP’s credibility and strengthen its core values: » Establishing clear and rigorous criteria for dealing with human rights violations by participating countries; » Ensuring real participation and co-creation of OGP Action Plans;

Civil society urges OGP Steering Committee to undertake strong reforms and rally its core values2018-11-13T10:04:11+01:00
9 Feb 2016

El Gobierno pleitea para mantener en secreto documentos… ¡sobre gobierno abierto!

2020-02-14T13:55:04+01:00

[ACTUALIZACIÓN, 20 de septiembre de 2016 - El día 26 de julio de 2016 Access Info Europe remitió sus alegaciones ante el Juzgado Central de lo Contencioso-Administrativo de Madrid. Actualmente está a la espera de los próximos pasos a seguir dentro del proceso.] Madrid, 9 de febrero de 2016 - El Gobierno ha emplazado un recurso contencioso-administrativo contra el Consejo de Transparencia y Buen Gobierno, contestando así el fallo emitido por esta institución que instaba al Ministerio de la Presidencia a hacer públicos los documentos relativos a la implementación de los planes de acción del España para la Alianza del

El Gobierno pleitea para mantener en secreto documentos… ¡sobre gobierno abierto!2020-02-14T13:55:04+01:00
16 Oct 2015

Access Info presenta una queja formal sobre la falta de compromiso de España con el OGP

2020-02-14T13:57:49+01:00

Madrid, 16 de octubre de 2015 - Access Info Europe ha presentado una queja formal ante la Alianza para el Gobierno Abierto (OGP en sus siglas en inglés) denunciando la manifiesta falta de compromiso por parte del Gobierno español con los principios y valores defendidos por la Alianza, de la que España es miembro desde el año 2011. En concreto, la queja de Access Info se estructura en torno a cuatro principales obstáculos a la transparencia, la participación y la rendición de cuentas que dificultan constantemente la colaboración y cooperación con el gobierno a la hora de impulsar avances en

Access Info presenta una queja formal sobre la falta de compromiso de España con el OGP2020-02-14T13:57:49+01:00
15 Sep 2014

Semana Internacional de Apertura Legislativa: una campaña internacional a favor de parlamentos ‘abiertos por defecto’

2020-02-14T16:18:29+01:00

Madrid/Washington D.C., 15 de septiembre de 2014 - Access Info Europe se ha unido esta semana, junto a una comunidad global de organizaciones de monitorización parlamentaria, a la celebración de la Semana Internacional de Apertura Legislativa (Global Legislative Openness Week), que tendrá lugar entre el 15 y el 25 de septiembre. El propósito es hacer un llamamiento a todos los parlamentos nacionales del mundo para que conviertan la información parlamentaria que genera su actividad diaria en 'abierta por defecto' (open by default). 'Abierta por defecto' implica la publicación proactiva de todos los datos que generan las cámaras legislativas, en formatos

Semana Internacional de Apertura Legislativa: una campaña internacional a favor de parlamentos ‘abiertos por defecto’2020-02-14T16:18:29+01:00