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Europe: access to information in practice, not just on paper

2018-11-13T10:03:58+01:00

[Article first published by the Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso] Long established and widely recognized, the right to access to information is severely curtailed in many European countries due to deficient implementation of existing law In case you missed it, this year marks the 250th anniversary since the world’s first transparency law was adopted, in Sweden in 1766. At a quick glance, it seems we have a lot to celebrate in Europe – every country on the continent (bar Cyprus and Luxembourg which have draft laws) now has a transparency law that gives citizens the right of access to government-held information.

Europe: access to information in practice, not just on paper2018-11-13T10:03:58+01:00

Spanish Transparency Council confirms that Agendas of Cabinet meetings of the Government is public information

2018-11-13T10:03:58+01:00

Madrid, 14 November 2016 – Access Info today welcomed the recent ruling by the Spanish Transparency Council that agendas of Cabinet meetings constitute information that should be available for public scrutiny in accordance with the obligations set out in Spain’s Transparency Law. The Council’s important Decision rejected the arguments of the Ministry of the Presidency, concluding that publication of the red and green index[1] in the agendas is not “internal information” and does not harm “the confidentiality of the discussions” of the Spanish Cabinet. “This very important decision gives the public the chance to know what topics will be discussed

Spanish Transparency Council confirms that Agendas of Cabinet meetings of the Government is public information2018-11-13T10:03:58+01:00

One step forward, two steps back: New Italian FOIA fails to improve adequate appeals mechanism

2018-11-13T10:03:59+01:00

Madrid, 10 November 2016 - Access Info Europe has expressed serious concern that Italy’s newly-adopted “FOIA” still falls far behind international standards after an analysis of the quality of the law ranked Italy 54th out of 111 countries. The pro-transparency organisation criticised the decree, passed in May this year, specifically because it weakens the appeals system by abandoning Italy’s Information Commission as a national oversight body. “Italy’s new FOIA forces requesters to go through the infamously-slow Italian court system in order to challenge non-disclosure of information, making it difficult to hold public officials accountable and near-impossible for citizens to participate

One step forward, two steps back: New Italian FOIA fails to improve adequate appeals mechanism2018-11-13T10:03:59+01:00

La asignatura pendiente de regular los ‘lobbies’

2018-11-13T10:10:32+01:00

El País | 06/11/2016 Spanish - “En España no se negocia, se presiona”. La frase es una de tantas escritas en las redes sociales a propósito de la formación de Gobierno (y por la polvareda posterior) e ilustra un pensamiento colectivo sobre cuáles son las prácticas habituales en el proceso de toma de decisiones. Read more...

La asignatura pendiente de regular los ‘lobbies’2018-11-13T10:10:32+01:00

Los conflictos de interés del Gobierno Rajoy

2018-11-13T10:10:32+01:00

El País | 03/11/2016 Spanish - Los ministros de Mariano Rajoy se han levantado de la mesa del Consejo de Ministros en al menos 56 ocasiones desde que este asumió la presidencia, en diciembre de 2011, para evitar tomar decisiones que afectan a empresas en las que han trabajado o en las que tienen intereses sus cónyuges o familiares. Read more...

Los conflictos de interés del Gobierno Rajoy2018-11-13T10:10:32+01:00
Original content developed by Access Info Europe and is made public under a Creative Commons Attribution, Share Alike licence.