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7 Apr 2016

It’s none of your business! – Report on Europe’s Closed Company Registers

2018-11-13T10:10:47+01:00

Madrid, 7 April 2016 – In the wake of the massive Panama Papers scandal, Access Info Europe and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) have released a report showing that in most European jurisdictions data on company ownership is almost impossible for the public to obtain. For an investigative journalist tracking down money laundering or organised crime, the main obstacle to accessing company registration information in Europe is financial: the register can be obtained for prices ranging from €75,000 in the Netherlands to € 286,000 in Estonia; single record costs range from €2.33 in France to €767.00 in

It’s none of your business! – Report on Europe’s Closed Company Registers2018-11-13T10:10:47+01:00
10 Jun 2015

Civil society urges World Bank to collect and publish beneficial ownership data of contractors

2018-11-13T09:46:28+01:00

Madrid, 10 June 2015 - Over 100 civil society organizations from around the globe including Access Info Europe, on 8 June 2015 called on the World Bank to require that all companies bidding for Bank-financed procurements disclose their beneficial ownership information and that this information be published in an open data format as part of the Bank’s efforts to foster transparency in its contracting practices. Such a move would be in line with current trends to end corporate anonymity: On 5 June 2015, the Norwegian Parliament voted unanimously to establish a beneficial ownership registry, following in the footsteps of the

Civil society urges World Bank to collect and publish beneficial ownership data of contractors2018-11-13T09:46:28+01:00
4 Jun 2015

EU Member States urged to guarantee access to registers of beneficial owners of companies

2018-11-13T09:46:29+01:00

Brussels/Madrid, 4 June 2015 – Access Info Europe has welcomed the adoption of the EU’s Anti Money Laundering Directive obliging Member States to set up a central registry of beneficial owners of companies, but has warned that this information will not be available to investigative journalists and civil society watchdogs unless Member States take steps to ensure that the registers are public. The Anti Money Laundering Directive [1], which EU Member States now have two years to transpose into national law, requires each country to maintain a centralised database on the natural persons behind legal structures, in a bid to

EU Member States urged to guarantee access to registers of beneficial owners of companies2018-11-13T09:46:29+01:00
2 Apr 2015

UK Advances on Company Ownership Transparency

2018-11-13T10:05:49+01:00

Madrid, 1 April 2015 – Transparency campaigners Access Info Europe have welcomed the passage by the British parliament on Friday 27 March 2015 of a law by which the UK becomes the first country in the world with legislation guaranteeing collection and publication of information about the real beneficial owners of companies. The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 aims to crack down on the abuse of “shell” companies by requiring that all company directors be real people as opposed to corporations (which some exceptions). There will also be a register of individuals who exercise significant control over a

UK Advances on Company Ownership Transparency2018-11-13T10:05:49+01:00
12 Nov 2014

#Luxleaks Scandal Highlights Urgent Need for Corporate Transparency

2018-11-13T10:11:35+01:00

Comment by Pam Bartlett Quintanilla, Campaigner at Access Info Europe Madrid, 12 November 2014 - Top on the agenda of the European Parliament today is the #luxleaks scandal, uncovered by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists through the leaking of hundreds of secret tax agreements signed between Luxembourg and large multinational companies, when Jean-Claude Juncker, the new President of the European Commission, was Finance Minister and then Prime Minister of Luxembourg. Luxembourg is well-known for its culture of banking secrecy and for its past refusals to cooperate fully with tax transparency initiatives launched by the EU and other inter-governmental fora

#Luxleaks Scandal Highlights Urgent Need for Corporate Transparency2018-11-13T10:11:35+01:00
7 Nov 2014

EU Member States to Implement Directive for Companies to Disclose Non-Financial Information on Environment and Human Rights

2018-11-13T10:11:36+01:00

Brussels/Madrid, 15 November 2014 - The Directive requiring large EU companies to produce yearly statements revealing non-financial information must now be implemented by Member States following its adoption by the Council of the European Union last month and its publication in the Official Journal of the EU today. The Directive will specifically require businesses to publish information relating to environmental, social, and employee-related matters, human rights, anti-corruption, and bribery as well as produce an evaluation of potential risks involved and the strategy employed to mitigate them. Access Info Europe welcomes the Directive's implementation across Europe. "As the first EU legislation

EU Member States to Implement Directive for Companies to Disclose Non-Financial Information on Environment and Human Rights2018-11-13T10:11:36+01:00
12 Aug 2014

Civil society urge EU to push for more transparency in non-financial reports by business

2018-11-13T10:11:44+01:00

Madrid, 11 August 2014 – Access Info Europe highlighted the need for further access to information around the non-financial reporting of companies as part of a European Commission survey on corporate social responsibility. Civil society has emphasised the lack of regulation in this area, and stressed the need for more transparency and accountability regarding the impact of business actions on trade, the environment, development and human rights. The Commission is looking to receive feedback on the implementation of its most recent policy on corporate social responsibility, which is outlined in "A renewed EU strategy 2011-14 for Corporate Social Responsibility" (COM(2011)

Civil society urge EU to push for more transparency in non-financial reports by business2018-11-13T10:11:44+01:00
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