Madrid, 21 February 2014 – In an important move with widespread implications for the defence of human rights and the fight against corruption, the European Parliament moved a step closer towards a legal obligation for companies to disclose their real or “beneficial” owners on 20 February 2014. The progress came in the form of a vote in favour of beneficial ownership transparency by Parliamentarians in the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON) and the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE). The Parliamentarians voted that the future EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive should require mandatory public registries of the beneficial

Brussels, 28 October 2013 – In April 2013 the EU Commission launched a reform to improve corporate transparency on environmental and human rights matters. The European Coalition for Corporate Justice , which Access Info is a member of, welcomed the initiative as a first step towards corporate accountability, while highlighting the loopholes in the proposed changes. What follows is an update from the ECCJ coalition secretariat on the status of the EU negotiations; if passed, the Non-Financial Reporting Directive has the potential to increase the amount of information available to the public about the impacts businesses have on human rights

Podgorica/Madrid, 23 October 2013 - Today, Access Info with Montenegrin and international civil society organisations outlined concerns about Montenegro's efforts to combat corruption and organised crime, highlighting the reduction of information publically available on the national company register, in a letter sent to Mr. Dirk Lange, the Head of Unit for Montenegro within the European Commission's Directorate General for Enlargement. The recent actions of the Montenegrin government will undermine and challenge efforts by civil society organizations and media to investigate cases of corruption and organised crime and to hold government to account. "We note that, while the police and prosecution

Madrid, 26 September 2013 -  Access Info Europe today published an open letter calling upon the Montenegin authorities to provide full access to the national company register, and other registers without delay, after learning that it will be closed from public access on the grounds of data privacy. Access Info argues that EU data protection rules do not require the register to be inaccessible to the public. Indeed disclosure of such information is essential in any modern democratic society. Montenegro cannot ignore the trend in Europe and elsewhere towards publishing more of this kind of information, as well as the

Madrid, 29 November 2011 - Non financial reporting has proved to be a very important tool in encouraging companies to implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies. Multinational companies have a substantial influence on the planet and on human life, and corporate non financial information disclosure is a way to ensure that companies behave responsibly and are held accountable to the community in which they operate. It is important that the latter be able to assert their social, environmental and human rights. Despite the recognised importance of environmental, social and governance information reporting, European Governments and a majority of companies have

Madrid, 10 July 2013 - 2013 has been marked by a series of fatal incidents in the Bangladeshi garment industry. The Rana Plaza disaster, in which more than 1100 people were killed following the collapse of a building, revealed the bad working conditions in the textile sector in Bangladesh. The building was hosting five garment factories working for Western brands, therefore western businesses were responsible for the precarious working conditions in these factories. The EU has responded to these tragic incidents by launching, with the Government of Bangladesh on the 8th of July, a new compact on garment factory safety

Brussels, 18 July 2013 - European multinational companies strongly affect the lives and the environment in which they operate, and that is why it is essential that they report on the social, environmental and human rights aspects of their activities. It has been recognized that non financial reporting is not only beneficial for companies themselves, but also for citizens and stakeholders. Calls from international and national actors have been made to regulate corporate non financial reporting as a consequence of multiple corporate scandals; for example the horse meat scandals or various cases of environmental damages. On the international scene, the

Non financial reporting is the disclosure of a company's social, environmental and human rights information. It is also known as Environmental, Social and Governance information (ESG). Today, European multinational companies have expanded to a point where they have a significant impact on a variety of areas such as the economy, the environment, social and human rights, as well as the health of the community in which they operate. Specific examples of the areas which are affected include: - discrimination - sexual harassment - health and safety - freedom of information - torture - freedom of expression - privacy - poverty