Seminar on Access to Documents in the EU and Beyond
Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T09:41:24+01:00Date: 20-21/11/2017 Place: Brussels
Conference on “The application of the new Transparency regulations: assessment and future perspective”
Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T09:41:24+01:00Date: 27/10/2017 Place: Faculty of Law, University of Seville
Access to information generating changes: the fruitful outcomes of one single release: Cabinet Agendas + data journalism: irregular payments revealed
Helen Darbishire2020-01-30T16:52:37+01:00THE FRUITFUL OUTCOMES OF A SINGLE REQUEST CABINET AGENDAS + DATA JOURNALISM: IRREGULAR PAYMENTS REVEALED In March 2017, leading Spanish newspaper El Confidencial published an exclusive story revealing the Spanish Cabinet’s review of irregularities in public procurement contracts. This story was made possible thanks to a single access to information request by Access Info Europe, leading to a collaboration with data journalist Jesús Escudero. When, in June 2016, Alba Gutiérrez of Access Info submitted an access to information request for the agendas for the regular Friday morning meetings of Spain’s Cabinet (“Council of Ministers”)
Review process tackling MEPs allowances avoids public scrutiny
Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:07+01:00Madrid, 17 October 2017 - Access Info Europe has criticised the European Parliament’s refusal to disclose information in full relating to the revision of Member of the European Parliament’s General Expenditure Allowance (GEA), following an access to EU documents request. The Parliament Bureau’s ‘Ad hoc Working Group on the GEA’ denied access to a note containing the background, advice, and proposals for the rules, and a list of questions to be discussed, fearing that disclosure of the information would make it unable to reach a decision on the review of MEP allowances. “The refusal to recognise the overriding public interest
Empleo no quiere que conozcas detalles del medio millón de accidentes de trabajo al año
Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T09:41:24+01:00El Confidencial | 15/10/2017 Spanish - El ministerio de Fátima Báñez ha llevado a los tribunales al Consejo de Transparencia para ocultar esta información. De los 67 juicios de este tipo, 46 han sido iniciados por la Administración. Read more...
Transparency is core feature of new Council of Europe Guidelines on participation
Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:07+01:00Madrid, 5 October 2017 – Access Info Europe has welcomed the inclusion of core access to information principles in the Council of Europe’s Guidelines on public participation in decision making. The Guidelines, published last week on the eve of Right to Know Day (27 September 2017), include two of the pro-transparency organisation’s recommendations submitted during the 2016 public consultation: the need for timely provision of information and the narrow application of possible exceptions to access. “With the adoption of these guidelines, members of the Council of Europe must push to bridge the gap between citizens and decision makers, by enabling
Decision-Making Transparency in Europe identified as top priority on International Right to Know Day
Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:07+01:00Brussels, 29 September 2017 – Members of the European Parliament together with CSOs, academics, and journalists from across the EU have called for greater openness of decision making and full transparency of spending of public funds in the final declaration of an International Right to Know Day event held on 28 September 2017. The closing statement of the expert, high-level event, organised by the European Parliament’s cross-party Transparency and Anti-Corruption Intergroup (ITCO) along with Access Info Europe and Anticor Belgium, also called for full respect for the right of access to information, and urged all EU Member States to align
Los comisarios europeos gastaron casi 500.000 euros entre enero y febrero de 2016 en viajes oficiales
Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T09:41:24+01:00Noticias Cuatro | 09/08/2017 Spanish - Los miembros de la Comisión Europea gastaron casi 500.000 euros entre enero y febrero de 2016 en viajes oficiales, según la información que ha obtenido la organización española Access Info, aportada por el Ejecutivo comunitario, y que ha publicado la revista belga 'Knack'. Read more...
Spanish High Court orders disclosure of documents about OGP citing European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence
Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:07+01:00[UPDATE - 2 March 2018 - The documents disclosed can be found here.] Madrid, 21 September 2017 – Spain’s High Court has ruled that Access Info Europe should have access to Spanish Government documents related to participation in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in an important ruling where the Court for the first time makes reference to the right of access to information in international treaties. In a final decision, which is not open to appeal, the High Court rejected the Spanish Government’s attempt to classify progress reports on the OGP Action Plan as internal documents of an “auxiliary” nature.
Right to Know Day 2017 Event: Transparency in the EU and Member States
Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:17+01:00Date: 28/09/2017 – Right to Know Day Place: European Parliament, Brussels