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It’s none of your business! – Report on Europe’s Closed Company Registers
Madrid, 7 April 2016 – In the wake of the massive Panama Papers scandal, Access Info Europe and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) have released a report showing that in most European jurisdictions data on company ownership is almost impossible for the public to obtain. For an investigative journalist tracking down money laundering or organised crime, the
Member state offices in Brussels wide open to corporate lobbyists
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
Access Info calls for immediate end to the EU’s secretive law-making process
Madrid, 21 March 2016 - Access Info Europe has urged the European Ombudsman to recommend that the European Union immediately end its current practice of negotiating future legislation in secretive “trilogue” talks between the Council, Commission and Parliament. In a submission to the Ombudsman’s Public Consultation, Access Info cited the arguments of the EU’s own Advocate General in the case
We Have the Right to Know: Is the EU-Turkey Deal Legal? So We’re Asking.
Madrid, 18 March 2016 – As EU leaders meet in Brussels to finalise details of last week’s controversial deal on sending refugees back from Greece to Turkey, Access Info Europe is launching an access to information campaign digging into the legality of the agreement, and asking EU institutions whether they sought legal advice on or properly evaluated the human rights
MEPs urged to take stand to defend future of EU Transparency
Madrid, 17 March 2016 – As the European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO) gears up for a crucial debate on recommendations on the future of EU integrity, transparency, and accountability, Access Info Europe has called on MEPs to support proposals in favour of strengthening EU transparency mechanisms, including by giving the Ombudsman powers to review classified documents and inspect the
UK Government drops plans to restrict FOI
Madrid, 3 March 2016- Access Info Europe has welcomed the decision by the UK government to abandon its plan to undermine the UK FOI law through measures such as the introduction of fees for making requests or expanding the Cabinet veto on disclosure of information. This victory in defence of the public’s right to know was achieved after intense public
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