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4 Jul 2022

Spain: Another case of lack of transparency about transparency

2022-07-05T12:51:51+02:00

Madrid, 1 July 2022 – This week Access Info submitted an appeal to the Spanish Transparency Council after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused access to any documents at all about Spain’s signature and ratification of the Tromsø Convention, arguing that disclosure might damage international relations. This refusal is perplexing given that ratification of the Tromsø Convention is a flagship commitment under Spain’s IV Open Government Partnership Action Plan, and the signature ceremony in Strasbourg on 23 November 2021 was a very public event covered in Spanish media. The appeal submitted yesterday comes after a tortuous process of a series

Spain: Another case of lack of transparency about transparency2022-07-05T12:51:51+02:00
18 May 2022

Spain: Why do we need so many OGP Local Members?

2022-05-19T11:06:37+02:00

Madrid, 18 May 2022 – Access Info welcomes the news that two more Spanish regions – Asturias and Valencia - have joined Open Government Partnership’s local programme, making Spain the European country with the largest number of sub-national members, at six in total.[1] Access Info is calling on these regional governments to institute strong and inclusive multi-stakeholder forums, something which three of the Spain’s other OGP local members - Aragon, the Basque Country, and Catalonia – have, but the City of Madrid does not. “As a late-comer to the field of transparency, only adopting an access to information law in

Spain: Why do we need so many OGP Local Members?2022-05-19T11:06:37+02:00
21 Feb 2022

OGP Summit Side Panel: How strong is your right to know?

2022-02-21T17:17:43+01:00

14 December 2021 – The measurement of the right of access to information is still in its infancy, although there are now some important initiatives, including from UNESCO and the OECD to capture data from governments, whilst civil society projects are developing more in-depth tools to measure transparency in practice. The current state of measurement of the right to information was discussed at an expert webinar that took place on 14 December 2021 as part of the Open Government Partnership summit. The full video of the webinar can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/657069498 An important conclusion of the debate was that

OGP Summit Side Panel: How strong is your right to know?2022-02-21T17:17:43+01:00
11 Jun 2021

OGP governments urged to open company registers

2021-06-15T13:06:55+02:00

Madrid, 10 June 2021- Speaking at the Ministerial Level meeting of the Open Government Partnership Steering Committee, Helen Darbishire of Access Info, in her role as a civil society member of the Steering Committee, stressed the need to act on the transparency agenda that the pandemic has indicated should be a top priority.

OGP governments urged to open company registers2021-06-15T13:06:55+02:00
21 May 2021

Open Government Week 2021: Survey finds European civil society is working largely unfunded on national Open Government Partnership activities

2021-06-07T16:44:25+02:00

Madrid, 21 May 2021- As Open Government week is celebrated around the world, a survey of 24 transparency organisations reveals that most national Open Government Partnership work in Europe is largely unfunded: of an estimated total value of OGP-related work of € 435,220 reported by survey respondents, a full 60%, or €261,130 is unfunded.

Open Government Week 2021: Survey finds European civil society is working largely unfunded on national Open Government Partnership activities2021-06-07T16:44:25+02:00
30 Oct 2020

Spain’s Ambitious four-year OGP Action Plan Adopted

2020-11-27T12:32:35+01:00

Spain has adopted an ambitious four-year Open Government Action Plan, replete with measures called for by Access Info, including reform of the 2013 Transparency Law, ratification of the Convention on Access to Official Documents, new laws on lobby regulation and whistleblower protection, and the opening of key data, including the company register and some health service data.

Spain’s Ambitious four-year OGP Action Plan Adopted2020-11-27T12:32:35+01:00
27 May 2020

Access Info supports principles on right of access to information during health crisis by Alianza Regional

2020-06-04T17:34:33+02:00

Madrid, 27 May 2020- Access Info Europe and 17 NGOs from Latin America today called on governments in the region to guarantee the right of access to informaton during the Covid-19 pandemic, to prioritise the disclosure of emergency-related information and to ensure that information reaches the most vulnerable populations.  The proposal also highlights the negative consequences of the absence of policies on transparency and access to information. These include the authorities’ lack of coordination as well as limited performance of the agencies guaranteeing bodies for the full exercise of the right of access to information, which the text defines as

Access Info supports principles on right of access to information during health crisis by Alianza Regional2020-06-04T17:34:33+02:00
22 May 2020

Participation: Citizens need Information! YOU4EU-Citizen Participation 2.0 project

2020-05-22T09:07:24+02:00

Madrid, 22 May 2020 – Citizens across Europe need better access to information to participate in decision-making processes at European, national, and local level. This is one of the main findings by Access Info Europe and partners of the “YOU4EU” project, which has been completed following two years of research and campaigning on civic participation.  An extensive study carried out by Access Info (Spain), Belgrade Open School (Serbia), GONG (Croatia), Institute Alternative (Montenegro) and PiNA (Slovenia) also found that policy-makers are failing to communicate adequately with citizens, even though the public is  keen to learn about their governments and institutions,

Participation: Citizens need Information! YOU4EU-Citizen Participation 2.0 project2020-05-22T09:07:24+02:00
14 Feb 2020

The EU should open up to citizens via social media to engage them in decision making

2020-03-02T17:27:21+01:00

Madrid, 14 February 2020 – Citizens across Europe need better access to information to participate in decision-making processes at European, national, and local level. This is one of the main recommendations by Access Info Europe and partners in the publication ‘YOU4EU Policy Recommendations’, presented in Brussels on 6 February 2020 at the high-level conference “Engaging citizens for good governance in Cohesion Policy”. The publication is based on extensive research in five countries by Access Info Europe in Spain, Belgrade Open School in Serbia, Gong in Croatia, Institute Alternative in Montenegro and PiNA in Slovenia. The organisations found that European Institutions

The EU should open up to citizens via social media to engage them in decision making2020-03-02T17:27:21+01:00
15 Apr 2019

Access Info once again urges Spain to recognise access to information as a fundamental right

2019-04-17T10:53:20+02:00

Madrid, 12 April 2019 – When Spain elects a new government on 28 April 2019, one of its pending tasks is to ensure that the weak transparency law is reformed to meet international standards, and to recognise a fundamental right in line with the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. To this end, Access Info has proposed that in its next Open Government Partnership Action Plan, Spain commits to recognise the right to information, with measures such as removing identification requirements for requesters and ensuring that the law applies to all branches of power not just the executive

Access Info once again urges Spain to recognise access to information as a fundamental right2019-04-17T10:53:20+02:00
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