Call for proposals: web design
6 February 2012: Access Info Europe has opened a call for proposals for a web design for a new project which aims to increase the participation of citizens in the decisions taken by the European Union.
The project is called "ALTER-Citizens" which stands for Allicance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethical Regulations. The project is a collaborative initiative by six organisations in five different countries.
We are inviting proposals with designs and budgets for a dynamic and attractive website for this project. The deadline is 20 February 2012.
New Spanish government's first meeting with civil society on the future of transparency in Spain
Madrid, 20 January, 2012 – Access Info Europe today attended a meeting with the Ministry of the Presidency, organized by the Secretary of State for Relations with the Parliament, to discuss the future Spanish law on transparency and access to information in Spain.
During the meeting, Access Info Europe emphasized the need for the law to address issues which were not satisfactorily resolved in previous proposals. These shortcomings include recognition of the right of access to information as a fundamental right and the need to create an independent oversight body that will guarantee correct implementation of the future law.
Spain's Navarra Region Presents Progressive Open Government Law
Madrid, 20 January 2012 – Access Info Europe has welcomed today's publication of the Navarra region's draft law on Transparency and Open Government, qualifying it as a "highly progressive law" which sets new standards for Spain and internationally.
The draft law was developed in consultation with the public and input from expert groups such as Access Info Europe and is now subject to a further public consultation until 7 February 2012. It contains three main sections: proactive publication, the right to request information, and public participation.
"This is a strong law in line with the best access to information laws globally," commented Helen Darbishire, Executive Director of Access Info Europe "and it goes even further than many laws by incorporating open data principles and public participation as inherent parts of the concept of open government."
New Spanish crowd-funding platform presents first cheque to Access Info
Madrid, 20 December 2011: The new crowd-funding platform Goteo on Tuesday presented the first cheque for a successful project to Access Info, which received for €5,150 for a project to build an information request platform in Spain, in anticipation of the new access to information law expected to be adopted in the first half of 2012.
The Goteo platform, whose name makes a reference to the "drop by drop" nature of crowd funding, was launched in November. In just 30 days Access Info received the minimum funding it needs for project, €4,100. At time of writing the total donated was €5,700 and still rising.
The request platform is called Tuderechasaber.es (Yourrighttoknow) and will be built by Spanish programmer and open data activist David Cabo based on the mySociety Alaveteli software already used by Access Info in to build AsktheEU.org.
L-R: Enric Senabre of Goteo presents a cheque with the faces of those to donated funds to Helen Darbishire and David Cabo at an event at MediaLab-Prado in Madrid. Photo courtesy of Goteo, more photos avialable here.
Receiving the donation, Helen Darbishire, Executive Director of Access Info, noted that 2011 has seen a rise in activism in Spain and that the contributions to this project demonstrate how members of the public are keen to have a more transparent and accountable government.
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