Coalición Pro Acceso meets with Spanish Government 10 December 2009: On international human rights day, members of the Coalición Pro Acceso met with representatives of the Ministry of the Presidency to exchange opinions on a future Access to Information Law. They urged that this law clearly recognise the right to access to information as a fundamental right protected by the freedom of information provision of the Spanish Constitution (Article 20) and as recognized by the European Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The meeting lasted two hours and included a constructive and interesting exchange of

The Coalición Pro Acceso calls for an open and participatory debate around Spain’s new access to information law To mark International Right to Know Day (28 September) the Coalición Pro Acceso launched a campaign in support of access to information in Spain. The Coalición Pro Acceso yesterday wrote to President Zapatero welcoming his recent announcements confirming that the Spanish Government is preparing a law on access to information. The platform of over 30 leading Spanish NGOs and academic experts called for the drafting of the law to be transparent and participatory to ensure inclusion of the Nine Principles which the

The Spanish Ministry of Culture refuses to provide information: On the grounds that the documents “are not part of a file” 17 September 2008 Access Info Europe today launched its campaign to litigate in defence of the right of access to information in Spain with a legal challenge against the Ministry of Culture for refusing to release information on how copyright royalties are spent. The request made by a citizen to the Ministry of Culture was for copies of the annual reports by Spain’s General Association of Authors (the SGAE) as well as the VEGAP (the society that manage the intellectual

Spain: Study reveals that citizen’s information requests meet with silence, evasion, and absurd answers 1 October 2008 A report by Access Info Europe published today reveals that of over forty requests filed with more than twenty public bodies in Spain during the past year, a full 78% did not receive the requested information. Download the Report ‘Cuando lo Público no es Público’

7 October 2008 Spanish President Zapatero commits to adopt an access to information law Access Info welcomed today's announcement by the Spanish Government and called for the drafting of the law to be open and transparent, with full participation of civil society. Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero speaking today at the closing of the 64th Assembly of the Inter-American Press Association in Madrid, announced that his Government will adopted "a new law that guarantees the greatest possible access to public information in Spain". No further details on the proposed content of the law are yet available. Access Info noted that