Front Page – Access Info Europe

28 Sep 2023

Priorities on 21st International Access to Information Day

Helen Darbishire2023-09-28T13:10:12+02:00

Madrid, 28 September 2023 – International Access to Information Day has gone from something founded by a small group of civil society activists from around the world in Sofia, Bulgaria on 28 September 2002, to a UN and UNESCO day, also celebrated by official bodies across the globe. Since International Access to Information Day was launched, international human rights courts and inter-governmental organisations, as well as the European Union treaties and many national constitutions have recognised a fundamental right of access to information. Challenges remain, however, and as this day – originally called Right to Know Day by those who

Priorities on 21st International Access to Information DayHelen Darbishire2023-09-28T13:10:12+02:00

26 Jan 2023

Malta: Access Info wins Court of Appeal ruling that all EU citizens have a right to submit information requests

Helen Darbishire2023-01-26T13:35:53+01:00

Madrid, 26 January 2023 - Malta’s Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of Access Info that the Maltese government was discriminatory and violated the rights of EU citizens when it refused to register an information request by a non-Maltese citizen. This major win for the right of access to information stems back to an August 2019 request by an Italian citizen working with Access Info, who asked for data on the return of migrants. The Maltese Ministry of Home Affairs and National Security refused to register the request stating that an “eligible person” under Malta’s 2008 Freedom of

Malta: Access Info wins Court of Appeal ruling that all EU citizens have a right to submit information requestsHelen Darbishire2023-01-26T13:35:53+01:00

22 Dec 2022

Global Data Barometer: What the EU should do to close the data gap

Helen Darbishire2023-01-12T10:51:08+01:00

Madrid, 22 December 2022 – Access Info is today calling on the European Union and EU Member States to act to ensure that data needed for priority issues such as for preventing corruption and tackling climate change, is made public in all countries. This call comes following the publication on 16 December 2022 of the report “The State of Data for the Public Good in Europe” with results of the Global Data Barometer for the European region, with concerning findings such as low scores for Climate Action data at only 44% and Political Integrity – data essential to prevent

Global Data Barometer: What the EU should do to close the data gapHelen Darbishire2023-01-12T10:51:08+01:00

9 Dec 2022

Missing Data Opens the Door to Corruption

Helen Darbishire2022-12-14T16:44:05+01:00

Madrid, 9 December 2022 – On the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day, Access Info is calling on European governments to do more to ensure that the data needed for preventing corruption is both collected and made public. In the wake of the shock ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union, which has already suspended access to beneficial ownership registers in various countries, including Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands, Access Info warns that it is not only data on the owners of businesses that is missing. Access Info’s research as part of

Missing Data Opens the Door to CorruptionHelen Darbishire2022-12-14T16:44:05+01:00

8 Dec 2022

No Biodiversity: Europe’s Missing Climate Action Data

Helen Darbishire2022-12-14T16:43:26+01:00

Madrid, 8 December 2022 – As the UN Biodiversity Conference opens in Montreal, Canada, Access Info has raised concerns about the shortage of biodiversity data with the Global Data Barometer findings being only 43% for biodiversity data in European countries, and only 27% globally. Our research found that no biodiversity data is published online in six (6) European countries, namely Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia. The Global Data Barometer also found a score for Emissions data of 61% in Europe against just 32% globally, with worrying little data on Vulnerabilities to climate change at a low 28%

No Biodiversity: Europe’s Missing Climate Action DataHelen Darbishire2022-12-14T16:43:26+01:00

6 Dec 2022

Not all Expression is Lobbying

Helen Darbishire2023-01-11T12:13:43+01:00

Submission to OECD Consultation on Lobbying and Influence Madrid, 6 December 2022 – In its analysis of the draft OECD Recommendation on the regulation of lobbying and influence, Access Info has warned of the risk of some governments using the proposed provisions to limit media freedom and freedom of expression in the name of regulating “influence” and ensuring that public officials are “shielded from undue influence”. In the full version of its submission to the consultation on the OECD Recommendation on Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying and Influence (hereinafter “Draft Recommendation) [1], Access Info highlights concerns about the broad

Not all Expression is LobbyingHelen Darbishire2023-01-11T12:13:43+01:00

1 Dec 2022

Lack of data to fight corruption and climate change! Find out how EU countries perform in the Global Data Barometer

Helen Darbishire2022-12-20T11:27:52+01:00

Join us on 16 December 2022 at 14:00h CET on Zoom for the launch of the European region results of the first Global Data Barometer (GDB). We will be discussing how Europe is the strongest region globally on data for public good, but still only has a middling score of 51% overall. The report reveals which data exists and which is missing in areas such as anti-corruption, company & beneficial ownership information, climate action, and health and covid. For 21 European countries, we will be discussing what we can learn from the highest scoring country Estonia with 67% and the

Lack of data to fight corruption and climate change! Find out how EU countries perform in the Global Data BarometerHelen Darbishire2022-12-20T11:27:52+01:00

28 Nov 2022

Global Civil Society Organisations Concerned About European Court Ruling on Beneficial Ownership Transparency

Helen Darbishire2022-11-30T15:11:57+01:00

As European Union and African Union representatives meet in Brussels on Monday 28 November 2022 to review progress following the EU-AU Summit in February, 34 African and European civil society organisations have raised concerns about threats to ground-breaking EU transparency measures, which could undermine all that has been put in place to prevent and combat the problem of illicit financial flows out of Africa. The 34 organisations state: “Illicit financial flows rob African nations of almost US$89 billion each year. Anonymous companies are often used as the get-away vehicles of the corrupt, helping syphon these funds out of Africa

Global Civil Society Organisations Concerned About European Court Ruling on Beneficial Ownership TransparencyHelen Darbishire2022-11-30T15:11:57+01:00

23 Nov 2022

Open Beneficial Ownership Register Rules Declared Invalid by EU’s Highest Court

Helen Darbishire2022-11-25T11:07:47+01:00

Madrid, 23 November 2022 – The Court of Justice of the European Union on 22 November 2022 declared invalid the provision of the Fifth European Union Anti-Money Laundering Directive that requires EU countries to provide public access to beneficial ownership registers. In a ruling that has sent shockwaves through Europe’s anti-corruption and transparency community, the Court found that the Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD5, 2018) is too loosely framed and provides for overly-wide public access to the registers without a proper justification of the necessity and proportionality of the interference with the rights to privacy and personal data protection of

Open Beneficial Ownership Register Rules Declared Invalid by EU’s Highest CourtHelen Darbishire2022-11-25T11:07:47+01:00

10 Nov 2022

Don’t miss the opportunity! UNESCO free, online course on Access to Information is still up and running

Helen Darbishire2022-11-10T09:59:36+01:00

Madrid, 10 November 2022 – UNESCO and the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) recently launched a massive open online course (MOOC) about the right of access to information with the aim to offer people worldwide the opportunity to learn about this fundamental right. The course is free for everyone, it takes just six hours to complete, and provides official certification from UNESCO upon completion. This course is an excellent opportunity for public officials, journalists, civil society, students, and all those who have an appetite to increase or reinforce their knowledge on the right of access to information (ATI). Thaís

Don’t miss the opportunity! UNESCO free, online course on Access to Information is still up and runningHelen Darbishire2022-11-10T09:59:36+01:00