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22 May 2020

Participation: Citizens need Information! YOU4EU-Citizen Participation 2.0 project

2020-05-22T09:07:24+02:00

Madrid, 22 May 2020 – Citizens across Europe need better access to information to participate in decision-making processes at European, national, and local level. This is one of the main findings by Access Info Europe and partners of the “YOU4EU” project, which has been completed following two years of research and campaigning on civic participation.  An extensive study carried out by Access Info (Spain), Belgrade Open School (Serbia), GONG (Croatia), Institute Alternative (Montenegro) and PiNA (Slovenia) also found that policy-makers are failing to communicate adequately with citizens, even though the public is  keen to learn about their governments and institutions,

Participation: Citizens need Information! YOU4EU-Citizen Participation 2.0 project2020-05-22T09:07:24+02:00
8 May 2020

Spain: Access Info requests names of members of technical committee advising government on unwinding the lockdown

2021-04-01T14:29:38+02:00

Madrid, 8 May 2020- Access Info today presented two information requests to the Spanish government about the management of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first request, Access Info asked for the names and professional profiles of the members of the Technical Team that is advising the government on the region-by-region winding down of Spain’s very tight lockdown. In a second request, Access Info has asked for access to all the minutes of meetings and reports from the Scientific Committee that has been advising the government on managing the pandemic since March 2020. The government yesterday refused to provide these names to

Spain: Access Info requests names of members of technical committee advising government on unwinding the lockdown2021-04-01T14:29:38+02:00
27 Apr 2020

Spanish Government urged to guarantee the right of access to information during the Covid-19 crisis

2021-04-01T14:30:00+02:00

Madrid, 27 April 2020- 31 Spanish civil society organisations, all members of the Coalición Pro Acceso, have called on the Spanish Government to guarantee the right of access to information. This comes after the suspension of all administrative deadlines under the state of emergency, which was declared on 14 March due to the coronavirus. In a letter addressed to Carolina Darias, the Minister of Territorial Policy and Public Function, the organisations denounce the negative effects that the pandemic is having on transparency and on access to information in Spain, a fundamental right that must be protected especially during a crisis,

Spanish Government urged to guarantee the right of access to information during the Covid-19 crisis2021-04-01T14:30:00+02:00
21 Apr 2020

Council of the European Union maintains timeframes for responding to access to documents requests

2020-04-27T18:00:54+02:00

Madrid, 21 April 2020 – Access Info today welcomed the announcement by the Council of the European Union that it will continue to process requests for documents, doing its best to adhere to the 15 working day timeframe, during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. A message from the Secretariat General’s Transparency team reads: The General Secretariat of the Council continues to support the political work, with some key services having to be present. Thanks to digital technology, the majority of staff remains fully operational. For the Transparency team, this means that we continue to deal with all requests for access to

Council of the European Union maintains timeframes for responding to access to documents requests2020-04-27T18:00:54+02:00
17 Apr 2020

Montenegro Access to Information Law Reform Halted

2020-04-27T18:01:09+02:00

Madrid, 17 April 2020 – Access Info today welcomed the news that Montenegro’s Ministry of Public Administration has decided to halt the public consultation on the controversial reform of the Law on Free Access to Information following a national and international outcry. Access Info was one of the organisations that jointed the campaign led by Montenegrin transparency specialists MANS calling for the consultation to be postponed, at least for the duration of the coronavirus lockdown, with people confined to their homes and parliamentary sessions are suspended. “The right to information is particularly important during this pandemic, and it is literally

Montenegro Access to Information Law Reform Halted2020-04-27T18:01:09+02:00
16 Apr 2020

EU urged to protect rule of law during coronavirus states of emergency

2020-04-27T18:01:18+02:00

Madrid, 16 April 2020 – Access Info Europe today joined 80 MEPs and civil society organisations in calling on the European Union to address restrictions on the rule of law and human rights, including freedom of expression and information, being introduced via coronavirus pandemic emergency measures. In an open letter sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel, the signatories warn of the misuse of the coronavirus crisis to silence dissent, limit freedom of expression, marginalise civil society, and erode democratic values. The letter also calls on the EU to ensure that the

EU urged to protect rule of law during coronavirus states of emergency2020-04-27T18:01:18+02:00
8 Apr 2020

EU urged to improve data and debate on gender equality

2022-10-26T12:40:09+02:00

Madrid, 8 April 2020 – Access Info Europe today called on the European Commission to collect and publish more data on gender equality, after finding low levels of gender data publication across Europe and revealing that the EU’s Statistical Office Eurostat has excluded various gender-related indicators as not relevant. In letters sent to Helena Dalli, EU Commissioner for Equality, and Paolo Gentiloni, EU Commissioner for Economy in charge of Eurostat and coordination of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Access Info noted that little over half (57%) of the SDG gender-related indicators are published in the European region, as shown

EU urged to improve data and debate on gender equality2022-10-26T12:40:09+02:00
6 Apr 2020

Now more than ever: transparency and whistleblower protection

2021-11-12T17:13:10+01:00

Madrid, 6 April 2020– Access Info Europe today joined leading transparency and anti-corruption organisations in calling on all public authorities to ensure and strengthen whistleblower protection during the state of emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Now more than ever: transparency and whistleblower protection2021-11-12T17:13:10+01:00
1 Apr 2020

Montenegro urged to halt public consultation on access to information law during the state of emergency

2020-04-27T18:01:43+02:00

Madrid, 1 April 2020 – Access Info today joined 41 Montenegrin NGOs and 28 journalists in calling on the government of Montenegro to halt moves to weaken the Law on Free Access to Information in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter of concern sent to Montenegro’s Ministry of Public Administration, Access Info called on it to postpone a public consultation on reforms to the Law on Free Access to Information that is taking place this week with a deadline of 4 April. This public consultation comes just at a time when people are confined to their homes,

Montenegro urged to halt public consultation on access to information law during the state of emergency2020-04-27T18:01:43+02:00
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