La Transparence Budgétaire
Global Monitoring Finds Widespread Violations of Right to Information
4 October 2011, Ottawa – The largest global monitoring of the right of access to information in practice, the Ask Your Government! 6 Question Campaign has found widespread violations of the right to information with only 1 in 4 requests resulting in provision of full information.
480 requests for budget information were submitted in 80 countries by a global network of civil society organisations. No information at all was provided in response to over half of the requests and 38% of the requests elicited no response from the government body to which the request was sent (mute refusals).
The poor results come in spite of the fact that requesters made multiple resubmissions of the six questions, totalling 1061 formal requests made in the 80 countries, accompanied in many cases by phone calls, additional letters, faxes, and e-mails, and in some countries personal visits to the relevant public authorities.
As they presented the findings of the Ask Your Government! 6 Question Campaign in Ottawa during at the 7th International Conference of Information Commissioners, human rights organisations Access Info Europe and the Centre for Law and Democracy called on governments to improve respect for the right to information in practice.
Country Ranking Chart by Results: 
Full Report for the Ask Your Government! 6 Question Campaign:
Detailed Results Chart by Country:
Spain: Public Participation in budget-making non-existent,finds international survey
Madrid, 20 October 2010 - Spain has scored 63 out of a possible 100 in the Open Budget Index, losing points for weak oversight by the Legislature and the Audit Institution as well as for complete lack of participation in the budgeting process, the pro-transparency organisation Access Info Europe revealed today.
Spain’s overall score of 63 puts it in 17th place in the ranking, behind developed democracies such as France, Norway, and the UK, and also behind newer democracies such as South Africa, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, India and Poland.
Launch of Open Budget Index 2010: Spanish Budget is for the First Time Included in the Ranking
20 October 2010, Madrid - Access Info Europe, along with other members of the Coalición Pro Acceso (the Coalition for an Access to Information law in Spain) will present the results of the 2010 Open Budget Index which has assessed the transparency of budgets in 94 countries and which for the first time this year, includes Spain.
The press conference in Madrid is part of the global launch that is being held in the 94 countries which are included in the 2010 Open Budget Index. In Madrid, Access Info Europe will present the results for Spain as well as the international ranking and recommendations on how to improve transparency and participation in budget-making.
