European Union
Transparency in the European Union
Access Info is working towards a more transparent EU by promoting stronger rules for access to documents and ensuring that existing rules are properly applied. We provide training on how to request information from the EU, campaign for greater transparency and, when necessary, litigate to get access to information. We also manage www.AsktheEU.org, an online platform for making access to documents requests to the European Union.
European Union Regulation 1049/2001
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Transparency of the European Central Bank on the Financial Crisis
Access Info Europe applies to join key case at European Court of Justice
Madrid, 6 May 2012 – Access Info Europe has applied to the European Court of Justice to intervene in a case which is of great importance to the European public in the context of the financial crisis: the case is about whether we have a right to know what key EU bodies, such as the European Central Bank, know about the financial health of Eurozone Member States.
In a letter to the Court sent on 6 May 2013, Access Info Europe asked for leave to intervene in the case of Gabi Thesing and Bloomberg Finance vs. European Central Bank. The case dates back to 2010 when a journalist working for the Bloomberg news agency asked the European Central Bank for two specific internal documents which analysed the state of Greece's debt in 2009.
The documents allegedly contain information showing that the ECB knew Greece was hiding its debt before it all came to light when Greece took its first bailout in 2010. The question arises whether the ECB knew about this hidden debt, and if so, why were steps not taken sooner to avert the need for Greece to request a bailout.
New Guide on Access to EU Documents
Madrid, May 9, 2013 – To celebrate Europe Day, Access Info is launching a citizen-friendly Guide on Access to EU Documents and is calling on members of the public and civil society organisations to exercise their rights and file access to documents requests.
The EU has recognised a fundamental right of access to EU documents, but the EU's freedom of information law – which goes by the catchy title of 'Regulation 1049/2001' – remains underused by the population at large. The new guide demystifies the process of asking for EU documents explaining step by step how to make a request.
Access Info hopes the guide will encourage citizens to exercise their right to ask, and also to defend that right before the European Ombudsman in cases where full information is not provided.
Click to download a copy of the Guide on access to EU Documents (best viewed online with Internet Explorer).
"I don't want to be rich, I want to be happy"
The Voices of EU Citizens Presented in Brussels
Madrid/Brussels, April 24, 2013 — Access Info Europe today called on the European Union to make the “European Year of Citizens” a reality by removing obstacles to participation in Brussels decision making, in particular by increasing levels of EU transparency.
*A member of the Spanish public speaking in this video which captures the voices of European Citizens facing up to the current financial crisis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvpVWmJsMzU
Citizens' Report (EN) 
Citizens' Report (FR)
Citizens' Report (ES)
Presenting “The Citizens’ Report: Participation, Ethics and Transparency – What citizens want from Brussels”, the culmination of a year of consultations with members of the public across Europe, Access Info Europe said its research shows that citizens are concerned about lack of transparency, weak ethics regulation and low levels of citizen participation in the European Union.
European poll reveals widespread concern about EU Transparency
Vast majority of people want more transparency, ethics and lobbying regulation
Brussels, January 31, 2013 – A majority of people across Europe are concerned about ethics and lobbying in European Union policy-making, and want better regulation of lobbyists, as well as increased transparency of the EU, according to a new opinion poll. [1]
The poll conducted by TNS opinion, and completed by over 6,000 people in six European countries, reveals that three quarters (73%) of respondents are concerned that lobbyists representing the business sector have too much influence on EU decisions. 80% of those surveyed believe there should be mandatory regulation of lobbying to ensure a balanced participation of different interests in decision-making.
The results come at the beginning of the European Year of Citizens, which aims to stimulate dialogue between governments and society, and thereby better engage citizens in debates and decisions that affect them. [2]
Citizens trip to Brussels: Figuring out the European Union Institutions
Brussels, November 18, 2012 - As part of the EU Citizens Project, 46 citizens from 6 countries in Europe had the opportunity to travel to Brussels, from the 14 to 16 November 2012, as part of a trip organised to bring citizens closer to the EU institutions and to encourage them to participate.
On the morning of the first day, two groups of citizens started the “lobby tour” in the European quarter of Brussels, listening to explanations from lobby experts, Oliver Hoedeman, Pascoe Sabido and Richard Tabsey of Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO). The guided tours through the heart of Brussels permitted citizens to understand the functions of the European Union institutions and to see how physically close they are to the offices of the largest multinational companies and consulting groups or lobby firms. The participants expressed concern about the fact that European officials and lobbyists were potentially holding closed-door meetings, far away from public opinion, including outside of work hours and in non-work locations.
Participation, ethics and transparency: What citizens want from Brussels
Brussels, November 17, 2012 - The European Union is ever more important in influencing the laws and policies that affect more than 500 million europeans. Yet very few know about our european representatives and the influence of interest groups upon them. Therefore, various organisations around Europe, including Access Info Europe, Friends of the Earth Europe, Spinwatch, Environmental Law Service, HAI Europe and Aitec have decided to make citizens aware about the topic through various national campaigns in favour of lobbying regulation through the EU Citizens Project. The last meeting aimed to bring together 48 citizens from more than 6 European countries, engaged about transparency, to the Belgian capital to learn more about the structure of European institutions.
*A member of the Spanish public speaking in this video which captures the voices of European Citizens facing up to the current financial crisis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvpVWmJsMzU
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