Company Ownership Transparency

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

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

23 Jun 2022

Almost 200 signatories ask the European Commission to open company ownership

Helen Darbishire2022-06-23T17:04:30+02:00

Madrid, 23 June 2022 - 182 organisations, journalists, academics, and individuals have signed a petition calling on the European Commission to ensure company ownership transparency in the EU. The petition comes as a response to the Commission’s draft Implementing Regulation for the Open Data Directive, which proposes the publication of only basic company information and company documents, without the names of company legal owners, legal representatives, and beneficial owners. The broad range of organisations and individuals adhering to this petition indicate the importance of open company registers: without company ownership information, CSOs and journalists would not have access to the

Almost 200 signatories ask the European Commission to open company ownershipHelen Darbishire2022-06-23T17:04:30+02:00

13 Jun 2022

Act Now! Have your say on EU company ownership transparency – Follow our guidance on how to participate in the public consultation

Helen Darbishire2022-06-13T16:01:06+02:00

Madrid, 13 June 2022 – We are urging civil society organisations, journalists and citizens across Europe to participate in the European Commission’s consultation on whether or not company registers should be open. The consultation is open until Tuesday 21 June 2022 (midnight Brussels time). What is this about? The consultation is on the Open Data Directive, adopted in 2019, which promised to open up company and company ownership data, including the names of the legal and beneficial owners. This information is currently available to all who have the means to pay for the data, with costs ranging up to €11

Act Now! Have your say on EU company ownership transparency – Follow our guidance on how to participate in the public consultationHelen Darbishire2022-06-13T16:01:06+02:00

1 Jun 2022

Don’t let the European Commission go back on its promise to open up EU company ownership – have your say in the Public Consultation!

Helen Darbishire2022-06-01T13:03:29+02:00

Madrid, 1 June 2022 – Under the EU’s Open Data Directive, company registration and ownership information should be available as open data. In a surprise move, the European Commission is now proposing, via a long-overdue Implementing Regulation, that the names of the owners of companies will not be made available for free. As a result, SMEs, businesses, academia, journalists and CSOs will not get access to information that is vital in due diligence, innovation and preventing corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing. Join leading transparency and open data activists in a public briefing to discuss next steps and how to

Don’t let the European Commission go back on its promise to open up EU company ownership – have your say in the Public Consultation!Helen Darbishire2022-06-01T13:03:29+02:00

9 Mar 2022

Transparency to Track Hidden Wealth

Helen Darbishire2023-07-27T15:43:13+02:00

9 March 2022 - As the Russian onslaught on Ukraine continues, 127 leading transparency, anti-corruption, journalist and open data organisations today issued a statement calling on European Union Institutions and Member States to act urgently to open company and beneficial ownership registers so as to facilitate tracking the hidden wealth of Russian oligarchs and to ensure effective sanctions. The EU and its allies have rallied to support Ukraine, but without a robust system of transparent company and beneficial ownership data, detecting hidden Russian wealth is difficult, given that many use family members and networks of shell companies to conceal their

Transparency to Track Hidden WealthHelen Darbishire2023-07-27T15:43:13+02:00

9 Mar 2022

Act now – open up company and beneficial ownership registers across Europe!

Helen Darbishire2022-03-18T15:32:55+01:00

This statement, signed by 127 leading transparency, anti-corruption, journalist and open data organisations call upon the European Union Institutions and Member States: act now and open up all company and beneficial ownership registers across the European Union to the public! This is crucial in exposing assets and money of Russian oligarchs in the EU. We are deeply horrified by Putin's incursion into Ukraine and the violation of the rule of law, human rights, and state sovereignty. We support the European Union in collectively taking a strong stance to defend democracy and our common values. The sanctions imposed - freezing assets,

Act now – open up company and beneficial ownership registers across Europe!Helen Darbishire2022-03-18T15:32:55+01:00

2 Mar 2022

Immediate transparency of company ownership is imperative to unveil hidden wealth of Russian oligarchs in the EU

Helen Darbishire2022-03-10T11:23:42+01:00

Madrid, 2 March 2022 – Helen Darbishire and Rachel Hanna of Access Info Europe explain why transparency is essential to ensure the effectiveness of the sanctions against Russia. Following the invasion of Ukraine, there has been global outrage at Russia’s blatant disregard for international law, human rights, and the principle of state sovereignty. In an attempt to deter Putin from escalating military action in Ukraine, the EU and its allies have come together to decide on sanctions that directly target Russian oligarchs, freezing their assets – often the fruit of corruption and money laundering – and impeding them from conducting

Immediate transparency of company ownership is imperative to unveil hidden wealth of Russian oligarchs in the EUHelen Darbishire2022-03-10T11:23:42+01:00