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4 Oct 2021

Pandora Papers: How long before we have open company registers?

2021-10-04T22:14:48+02:00

Helen Darbishire, Director of Access Info Europe, reflects on what the Pandora Papers tell us about anti-corruption and integrity instruments in Europe, and calls on the European Commission to move urgently on opening up company registers. Helen is a member of the Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership, and is Chair of the UNCAC Coalition, a global civil society network working to combat corruption. Madrid, 4 October 2021 – The Pandora Papers leak reveals, once again, that the mega rich are using legal loopholes to avoid taxes and the corrupt are transferring money out of poorer countries into more

Pandora Papers: How long before we have open company registers?2021-10-04T22:14:48+02:00
21 Sep 2021

Public kept in the dark over European Commission decision making on opening company ownership data

2021-09-21T16:07:53+02:00

Madrid, 20 September 2021 – In an open letter to European Commissioners Thierry Breton and Vera Jourová sent today, Access Info and other leading transparency organisations raised concerns about the Commission’s failure to take a decision on publication of company data under the Open Data Directive, even after the 17 June 2021 deadline Member States to transpose the directive has passed. The European Commission should by now have held a month-long public consultation on the Implementing Act for the Open Data Directive, permitting potential users, including journalists, businesses, and anti-corruption organisations, to put forward arguments as to its democratic value

Public kept in the dark over European Commission decision making on opening company ownership data2021-09-21T16:07:53+02:00
11 Jun 2021

OGP governments urged to open company registers

2021-06-15T13:06:55+02:00

Madrid, 10 June 2021- Speaking at the Ministerial Level meeting of the Open Government Partnership Steering Committee, Helen Darbishire of Access Info, in her role as a civil society member of the Steering Committee, stressed the need to act on the transparency agenda that the pandemic has indicated should be a top priority.

OGP governments urged to open company registers2021-06-15T13:06:55+02:00
3 Jun 2021

Open company registers across EU at risk because of revenue concerns of just three Member States

2021-06-07T16:44:50+02:00

Madrid, 3 June 2021- The European Commission is considering going back on the promise of requiring Member States to open company registers because a handful of rich countries – Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands – could lose income from selling this data, Access Info has discovered.

Open company registers across EU at risk because of revenue concerns of just three Member States2021-06-07T16:44:50+02:00
15 Feb 2021

Renewed call for Open Company Registers: a Response to OpenLux

2021-05-18T14:26:34+02:00

15 February 2021– As the OpenLux scandal unfolds, leading transparency, anti-corruption and open data organisations today reiterated their call to the European Commission and national governments to open company registers with high quality data in order to prevent the corruption, fraud, tax evasion and organised crime that has once again come to light thanks to the work of investigative journalists. 

Renewed call for Open Company Registers: a Response to OpenLux2021-05-18T14:26:34+02:00
9 Dec 2020

Call to protect EU’s Number One Anti-Corruption Instrument: Open Company Registers!

2021-02-15T16:10:19+01:00

Brussels, 9 December 2020 – On International Anti-Corruption Day 2020, 101 leading transparency, anti-corruption and open data organisations along with investigative journalists from across Europe have called on the European Commission and national governments to act to ensure that company registers, including ownership and corporate structure data, are freely accessible and published in open data format. In an open letter sent today to Thierry Breton, Internal Market Commissioner, and Vera Jourová, Vice President for Values and Transparency, the organisations respond to threats to reduce access to company registers to only very basic data, without the names of owners, when the

Call to protect EU’s Number One Anti-Corruption Instrument: Open Company Registers!2021-02-15T16:10:19+01:00
11 Apr 2017

Pushing for beneficial ownership transparency in Europe

2018-11-13T10:03:20+01:00

[Article first published by the UNCAC Coalition Blog] Andreas Pavlou, RTI Campaigner and Researcher   Madrid, 11 April 2017 - Earlier this year, the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs and Civil Liberties committees voted to strengthen beneficial ownership transparency rules across the European Union as part of the current revision to the 4th EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive. The proposed changes, if adopted in plenary, would mean EU citizens could access registers of beneficial owners of companies and trusts without having to demonstrate a “legitimate interest”, as is currently the case. This is something that will make it

Pushing for beneficial ownership transparency in Europe2018-11-13T10:03:20+01:00
1 Mar 2017

European Parliament votes in favour of stronger EU-wide beneficial ownership transparency rules

2018-11-13T10:03:41+01:00

Madrid, 1 March 2017 - Access Info Europe has welcomed yesterday’s vote by the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs and Civil Liberties committees to strengthen beneficial ownership transparency rules across the European Union. The amendments to the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive agreed by MEPs would mean EU citizens could access registers of beneficial owners of companies and trusts without having to demonstrate a “legitimate interest” something that will make it easier for investigative journalists and anti-corruption watchdogs to track down illegal activity, organised crime, money laundering and large-scale tax evasion. “Only full transparency of beneficial ownership registers across Europe

European Parliament votes in favour of stronger EU-wide beneficial ownership transparency rules2018-11-13T10:03:41+01:00
25 Jan 2017

MEPs urged to ensure transparency and accountability of EU fishing fleet operating internationally

2018-11-13T10:03:43+01:00

Brussels/Madrid, 25 January 2017 – Over forty civil society organisations have endorsed a joint letter initiated by Access Info Europe and Oceana to urge Members of the European Parliament to vote in favour of a proposed Regulation that will help fight illegal fishing by increasing transparency about the owners of EU flagged vessels. The Regulation on the sustainable management of external fishing fleets will set up an EU-managed public register of authorisations for vessels fishing outside EU waters, and has already been approved by the Parliament’s Fishing (PECH) and Development (DEVE) committees. A key feature of this future register is

MEPs urged to ensure transparency and accountability of EU fishing fleet operating internationally2018-11-13T10:03:43+01:00
Original content developed by Access Info Europe and is made public under a Creative Commons Attribution, Share Alike licence.