27 Nov 2015

Documents used in decision making are not “internal” rules Spain’s Transparency Council

2018-11-13T10:04:36+01:00

Madrid, 27 November 2015 – In another important decision from Spain’s Transparency Council, Access Info Europe has been granted access to Spanish government progress reports on Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitments. The Transparency Council’s decision rejects arguments by the Ministry of the Presidency that these documents, which were used as part of the decision-making process, are “internal documents.” In August 2015, Access Info’s director Helen Darbishire asked for copies of OGP-related documents in order to get an insight into what the government is doing in implementing the action plan. This request was necessary because, unlike in other OGP countries, there

Documents used in decision making are not “internal” rules Spain’s Transparency Council2018-11-13T10:04:36+01:00
12 Nov 2015

Access Info wins access to names of participants in meetings held by Spanish government

2018-11-13T10:04:37+01:00

Madrid, 12 November 2015 – In an important ruling from Spain’s Transparency Council, Access Info Europe has won access to the names of participants in meetings held to discuss the Open Government Partnership (OGP). Welcoming this standard-setting ruling Access Info Europe noted that it should contribute to genuine accountability of decision-making processes. Helen Darbishire of Access Info, who presented the complaint, said “it is essential to know who precisely gets to participate in meetings inside government, be they public officials, experts, lobbyists, or others.” Importantly the Transparency Council confirmed that Spain’s 2013 Transparency Law anticipates provision of information which “merely

Access Info wins access to names of participants in meetings held by Spanish government2018-11-13T10:04:37+01:00
13 Jul 2015

Spain: Draft Regulation Limits Already Weak Transparency Law

2018-11-13T09:46:12+01:00

Madrid, 13 July 2015 - Access Info Europe and the 65-member Coalición Pro Acceso have strongly criticised the draft implementing Regulation for Spain’s transparency law as a deliberate attempt by the government to further limit an already weak law and have called for it to be redrafted with urgency. Particularly egregious features of the Regulation include inverting the public interest test so that the balance tips in favour of secrecy, and reducing further the kinds of information that can be requested. In response to a poorly-publicised consultation on the draft, the concerns raised in the civil society submission include the

Spain: Draft Regulation Limits Already Weak Transparency Law2018-11-13T09:46:12+01:00
9 Jun 2015

Access Info sends its submission to the Spanish Transparency Council’s public consultation

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

Madrid, 9 June 2015 - - Access Info Europe has sent today its contributions to the open consultation by the Transparency Council and Good Government on its Strategic Plan 2015-2020. Access Info contributions are divided in two sections: » Some pending issues which deserve the attention and intervention of the Transparency Council, among which stand out: the need to press for the development of the Regulation that develops the transparency law; the need to simplify the process to submit applications; and the need torevise the management of deadlines of the institutions when answering  access to information requests. » Suggestions about functions,

Access Info sends its submission to the Spanish Transparency Council’s public consultation2018-11-13T09:46:28+01:00
3 Jun 2015

El Gobierno afirma que el silencio administrativo no supera el 1% en los últimos cinco meses

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

Post originalmente publicado en El Blog de Tuderechoasaber.es Madrid, 6 de mayo de 2015 - Desde que Access Info Europe empezó a monitorear en 2005 el nivel de respuesta de las instituciones públicas españolas a las solicitudes de acceso a la información hasta el último informe de Tuderechoasaber.es en 2014, la falta de respuesta ha sido la tónica dominante: cerca de una de cada dos solicitudes de información ha obtenido la callada por respuesta. Eso es lo que implica el silencio administrativo, que si pasado el plazo que indica la ley para un procedimiento administrativo, de un mes en el

El Gobierno afirma que el silencio administrativo no supera el 1% en los últimos cinco meses2018-11-13T09:46:29+01:00
21 Apr 2015

High levels of administrative silence leave Spanish FOI requesters in the dark

2018-11-13T09:46:33+01:00

Madrid, 22 April 2015 - Levels of administrative silence remained high in Spain in 2014, in the year running up to Europe’s newest transparency law coming into force, according to a report published by civil society organisations Access Info Europe and Civio. Out of the 314 requests for information sent via the Tuderechoasaber.es request platform in 2014, 42% did not receive any reply from Spanish institutions or public bodies. This is a drop from the 57% recorded in 2013. Satisfactory responses to requests rose marginally from 12.7% to 18.5%, which remains an unacceptably low level in a country where the

High levels of administrative silence leave Spanish FOI requesters in the dark2018-11-13T09:46:33+01:00
9 Apr 2015

El defensor del Pueblo reconoce que el Portal de Transparencia puede tener un efecto disuasorio sobre el derecho de acceso a la información

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

[ACTUALIZACIÓN. 5 de mayo de 2015 - Access Info Europe ha respondido con una nueva carta al Defensor del Pueblo exponiendo nuevas pruebas de lo denunciado en su primera queja, enviada el 17 de diciembre de 2014. Esta nueva respuesta, enviada hoy, 5 de mayo de 2015, está disponible aquí.] Madrid, 9 de abril de 2015 - Access Info Europe presentó el 17 de diciembre de 2014 una Queja ante el Defensor del Pueblo en la que denunciaba el complejo sistema de solicitud de información que el Gobierno ha puesto en marcha en el Portal de la Transparencia. En concreto

El defensor del Pueblo reconoce que el Portal de Transparencia puede tener un efecto disuasorio sobre el derecho de acceso a la información2018-11-13T10:05:49+01:00
23 Mar 2015

Press freedom groups release Spain mission report as country’s crowded election year kicks off

2018-11-13T10:05:50+01:00

Independence of public broadcasting, new public security law among international delegation’s key concerns Vienna, 23 March 2015 - There is a need to ensure maximum access by the public to the free flow of information according to a report published today by the International Press Institute (IPI) on freedom of expression and the press in Spain, following approval by the Spanish Senate of a controversial new public safety law heavily criticised both in Spain and abroad for its possible effects on journalism. The report incorporates the findings of a Dec. 2014 international mission to Spain, which was led by the

Press freedom groups release Spain mission report as country’s crowded election year kicks off2018-11-13T10:05:50+01:00
17 Feb 2015

Access Info Europe y Civio se reúnen con el recién formado Consejo de la Transparencia

2018-11-13T10:11:25+01:00

Madrid, 16 de febrero de 2015 - Access Info Europe y Civio han mantenido una reunión con el Consejo de la Transparencia de España con el objetivo de presentarse formalmente y poner en común reflexiones y posibles mejoras a la ley de transparencia y su implementación. El Consejo de la Transparencia empezó a trabajar el mismo día de entrada en vigor de la ley de transparencia (el 10 de diciembre de 2014), su presidenta de hecho fue nombrada el 11 de diciembre. Desde entonces el Consejo se ha centrado en trazar su plan estratégico y preparar una serie de documentos

Access Info Europe y Civio se reúnen con el recién formado Consejo de la Transparencia2018-11-13T10:11:25+01:00
20 Jan 2015

El Consejo de Transparencia echa a andar sin explicar a los ciudadanos cómo presentar un recurso a las solicitudes de información denegadas

2018-11-13T10:11:29+01:00

Post originalmente publicado en El Blog de Tuderechoasaber.es Madrid, 20 de enero de 2015 - A pesar de que la ley de transparencia entró en vigor hace más de un mes, aún no se conoce si existe un trámite específico para presentar un recurso ante el Consejo de la Transparencia, que se constituyó ayer lunes. Esta falta de información afecta a los ciudadanos que enviaron solicitudes de información desde el pasado 10 de diciembre. Cumplido el plazo de un mes que establece la ley, quienes hayan recibido una respuesta negativa (denegando la información), o directamente no han recibido respuesta, aún

El Consejo de Transparencia echa a andar sin explicar a los ciudadanos cómo presentar un recurso a las solicitudes de información denegadas2018-11-13T10:11:29+01:00