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5 Feb 2020

European Commission takes historical expenses data offline! Access Info publishes expenses of the previous Commission.

Helen Darbishire2020-02-06T12:05:48+01:00

Madrid/Brussels, 5 February 2020 – Access Info Europe today condemned the removal from the European Commission website of all the previous travel expenses data of Commissioners, and has written a letter to Commissioner Vera Jourová, who is charged with Values and Transparency, calling for publication of the historical and current expenses data in an accessible, user-friendly format, in real time. Breaching a 2017 commitment to publish Commissioners' mission expenses data, a commitment that itself came about after a three-year campaign for transparency by the Madrid-based organisation Access Info Europe, the Commission has now archived all the previously published data to

European Commission takes historical expenses data offline! Access Info publishes expenses of the previous Commission.Helen Darbishire2020-02-06T12:05:48+01:00

28 Jan 2020

Spain: Government should accept all UN recommendations on freedom of expression and information

Helen Darbishire2020-01-28T17:55:51+01:00

Madrid, 28 January 2020 – Access Info Europe, together with seven international and Spanish civil society organisations, today called on the Spanish Government to accept recommendations on freedom of expression and information made by other UN member states during Spain’s review at the Human Rights Council. The recommendations were made on 22 January 2020 as part of the regular Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, and reflect those presented by civil society in its report. Priorities include urgent modification of the Penal Code and abolishing the Law on Citizens’ Security (the so-called “gag law” which restricts expression on the internet) to

Spain: Government should accept all UN recommendations on freedom of expression and informationHelen Darbishire2020-01-28T17:55:51+01:00

27 Jan 2020

European Commissioners’ Expenses Transparency: Ombudsman accepts challenge to secrecy justified by “privacy”

Helen Darbishire2021-03-29T15:56:52+02:00

Madrid, 27 January 2020 – The European Ombudsman has accepted two complaints from Access Info against the refusal by the European Commission to provide information about the exact nature of “miscellaneous” travel expenses claimed by various Commissioners, including former Commission President Jean Claude Juncker’s spending of €8,320 while at the G20 in Buenos Aires in November 2018. The Commission has argued that it cannot give the details of what the funds were spent on because it would violate the privacy of the Commissioners, something that Access Info is challenging. The other mystery spending which the Commission includes how Commissioner Cecilia

European Commissioners’ Expenses Transparency: Ombudsman accepts challenge to secrecy justified by “privacy”Helen Darbishire2021-03-29T15:56:52+02:00

22 Jan 2020

Tenders Guru project: Guide to EU Whistleblower Protection Directive

Helen Darbishire2021-08-11T13:28:33+02:00

Madrid, 22 January 2020- Leading transparency and anti-corruption organisations from across Europe have today released a Guide to the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive, which came into force on 16 December 2019 and must be transposed by EU Member States within two years. The Guide explains how the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive is structured and the minimum standards of protection that countries need to include in national law. The Guide also makes recommendations on how national laws can ensure an even more comprehensive protection for anyone who exposes corruption and wrongdoing in any area of governmental activity and spending. The Guide

Tenders Guru project: Guide to EU Whistleblower Protection DirectiveHelen Darbishire2021-08-11T13:28:33+02:00

16 Jan 2020

Tenders Guru project: Public Procurement Glossary

Helen Darbishire2021-08-11T13:24:23+02:00

Madrid, 15 January 2020- Leading transparency and anti-corruption organisations from across Europe have today released the Public Procurement Glossary, a guide on the terminology used in public procurement processes, with the goal of making it easier for civil society and journalists to monitor for corruption and wrongdoing in local procurement processes.

Tenders Guru project: Public Procurement GlossaryHelen Darbishire2021-08-11T13:24:23+02:00

8 Jan 2020

Spain: New government’s transparency commitments should be integrated into next OGP Action Plan

Helen Darbishire2020-01-09T11:00:55+01:00

Madrid, 8 January 2020 – After ten months of electoral stalemate, Access Info Europe welcomed the creation of a new government in Spain, with a coalition agreement that includes important commitments on transparency, including proposed reform of Spain’s mediocre 2013 Transparency Law, as well as whistleblower protection, regulation of lobbying, abolishing laws that limit freedom of expression, and strengthening anti-corruption measures. Access Info today urged the new government to make transparency a top priority and to ensure that the promised reforms bring Spain into line with international standards for the fundamental right of access to information, something that the almost

Spain: New government’s transparency commitments should be integrated into next OGP Action PlanHelen Darbishire2020-01-09T11:00:55+01:00

20 Dec 2019

Tenders Guru project: reducing corruption risks with data

Helen Darbishire2021-08-11T13:32:08+02:00

Madrid, 20 December 2019- A major pan-European project looking into how to reduce corruption in public procurement, including at the local level, is currently underway in four European countries, and is producing it is first results which can be found on the Tenders.Guru website.

Tenders Guru project: reducing corruption risks with dataHelen Darbishire2021-08-11T13:32:08+02:00

18 Dec 2019

Access Info welcomes re-election of Emily O’Reilly as European Ombudsman

Helen Darbishire2019-12-20T09:46:29+01:00

Madrid, 18 December 2019 – Access Info Europe today welcomed the re-election of Ms Emily O’Reilly as European Ombudsman for another 5 years, after a competitive open process in which she won in the third round of voting by the European Parliament, receiving 320 votes out of 600 votes cast. In the run up to the election, Access Info wrote to all MEPS, urging them to support the candidate with the strongest track record in working for transparency and openness of the European institutions, and stressing that Ms O’Reilly had demonstrated her commitment to advancing the right of access to

Access Info welcomes re-election of Emily O’Reilly as European OmbudsmanHelen Darbishire2019-12-20T09:46:29+01:00

12 Dec 2019

Europe-wide Call for Greater Transparency of the Council of the EU – Croatian Presidency Urged to Act

Helen Darbishire2019-12-12T13:32:43+01:00

Brussels, 12 December 2019- Access Info today joined the organisation GONG (Croatia) and 33 other NGOs from across Europe in calling on the incoming Croatian Presidency of the European Union to act to ensure legislative and lobby transparency, and in particular to ensure transparency of the Council of the EU. The organisations note that at least half of all laws passing through national parliaments are related to norms and directives adopted at the EU level, and yet without transparency of the Council, it is almost impossible for citizens at the national level to engage in debate at the root

Europe-wide Call for Greater Transparency of the Council of the EU – Croatian Presidency Urged to ActHelen Darbishire2019-12-12T13:32:43+01:00

10 Dec 2019

Access Info denounces violations of the right of access to information in Spain at the UN Human Rights Council

Helen Darbishire2019-12-10T15:51:49+01:00

Madrid, 10 December 2019 – Access Info presents today at the pre-session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva its report on the violations of the Right of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression that take place in Spain. Joan Barata, expert on freedom of expression and member of the Platform in Defence of Freedom of Information (PDLI), presents the report to the Council today. This report was sent to the Council in July 2019 and was prepared in collaboration with PDLI, the Federation of Journalists' Unions (FeSP), the Criminal Policy Study Group (GEPC) and the Research

Access Info denounces violations of the right of access to information in Spain at the UN Human Rights CouncilHelen Darbishire2019-12-10T15:51:49+01:00