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10 Apr 2015

Seeking Sign-ons for Letter to European Commission on Lobby Transparency

2018-11-13T09:46:34+01:00

Madrid, 10 April 2015 - The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU), which Access Info participates in as a Steering Committee member, is seeking sign-ons from civil society organisations for a letter to European Vice-President Frans Timmermans, as part of our campaign to improve lobbying transparency in Brussels. The EU has a voluntary lobby register that covers the European Parliament and European Commission. The register is meant to tell us who the EU's lobbyists are; who they are working for; how much they spend on influencing policy; and what specific dossiers they lobby on. Yet the lobby register

Seeking Sign-ons for Letter to European Commission on Lobby Transparency2018-11-13T09:46:34+01:00
1 Apr 2015

Transparency campaigners launch guide for MEPs on lobby contacts and ethics reform proposals

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

Madrid, 1 April 2015 - The Alliance for Lobby Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU), of which Access Info Europe is a Steering Committee member, has launched Navigating the lobby labyrinth: A guide to transparency and ethics for MEPs along with Ten policy recommendations for a strengthened MEP Code of Conduct. Guide for MEPs The guide is intended to help MEPs put into practice their commitment to transparency and fulfil their obligations to be receptive to public opinion, open to public scrutiny, and fully independent in order to defend the public interest. The guide also offers practical advice for MEPs on how

Transparency campaigners launch guide for MEPs on lobby contacts and ethics reform proposals2018-11-13T10:05:49+01:00
4 Mar 2015

Access Info files complaint before EU Ombudsman on procurement transparency in Serbia

2021-08-11T13:21:44+02:00

Madrid, 4 March 2015 - Access Info Europe has criticised the European Commission’s refusal to provide full disclosure of an evaluation document about the procurement process for a water sewage plant in Serbia, in a complaint sent today to the European Ombudsman.

Access Info files complaint before EU Ombudsman on procurement transparency in Serbia2021-08-11T13:21:44+02:00
12 Feb 2015

MEP Julia Reda questions European Commission on postal address policy

2018-11-13T10:11:26+01:00

Madrid, 12 February 2015 – A Member of the European Parliament, Julia Reda (Pirate Party, Germany), has filed a Parliamentary Question calling on the European Commission  to provide justifications for its policy of refusing to register access to documents requests if citizens do not provide their personal postal address. Access Info Europe welcomes this investigation into the postal address policy, introduced on 1 April 2014, which the Commission has stated is necessary because it is "increasingly confronted with cases where applicants seem to hide behind false identities". Julia Reda’s Parliamentary Question notes that the new policy is placing barriers for

MEP Julia Reda questions European Commission on postal address policy2018-11-13T10:11:26+01:00
27 Jan 2015

EU lobby register: still failing to deliver real transparency

2018-11-13T10:11:27+01:00

Madrid/Brussels, 27 January 2015 - New research, published today, shows that the EU lobby register is failing to provide full transparency on lobbying as many financial lobbyists, major corporations, law firms and lobby consultancies that are actively working to influence EU law, are still not registered. The research by the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU), which is led by a steering committee that includes Access Info, demonstrates that the current voluntary approach to lobby regulation does not provide full transparency of lobbying in Brussels. In addition, the European Commission's current proposal to enact a new lobby register

EU lobby register: still failing to deliver real transparency2018-11-13T10:11:27+01:00
10 Dec 2014

European Union Vice President Timmermans called on to act to improve transparency

2018-11-13T10:11:30+01:00

Madrid, 10 December 2014 - Access Info Europe has called for significant improvements to the legal framework and implementation of the right of access to information at the EU level, as the European Commission finalises its work programme this week. In the letter to Vice President Timmermans, Access Info suggests the Commission focus on expanding the scope of Regulation 1049/2001 in line with the Treaty of Lisbon to cover all institutions, offices, bodies and agencies; bring exceptions on access to documents into line with international standards; and to clarify the relationship between the right of access to documents and the

European Union Vice President Timmermans called on to act to improve transparency2018-11-13T10:11:30+01:00
10 Dec 2014

Institutional and Donor support needed for online request platforms

2018-11-13T10:11:31+01:00

Madrid, 10 December 2014 - Online access to information request platforms have huge potential for success but are threatened by a lack of institutional acceptance and financial sustainability, according to conclusions drawn in a report by independent researchers for mySociety, the organisation that created the Alaveteli software which powers AsktheEU.org and TuDerechoaSaber.es. Access Info welcomes the findings of the report which are particularly relevant to the AsktheEU.org platform, given the European Commission's new-found resistance to the transparency portal. On 1 April 2014 the Commission implemented a policy to refuse to register requests for access to documents that are not accompanied

Institutional and Donor support needed for online request platforms2018-11-13T10:11:31+01:00
15 Nov 2014

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

2020-02-14T11:19:16+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 Rights2020-02-14T11:19:16+01:00
13 Nov 2014

Message to AsktheEU.org Users – Latest news and server transfer

2020-01-30T10:20:28+01:00

[UPDATE 18 November 2014 - AsktheEU.org was successfully transferred over to the mySociety servers] 13 November 2014 Dear Users and Potential Users of AsktheEU.org First of all, thanks to all our users and all those who have collaborated with AsktheEU.org in the first three years of our existence. AsktheEU.org has become and will continue to serve as an important platform for increasing the transparency of the EU institutions by permitting citizens to make access to documents requests to EU bodies and publishing the answer to those requests online. This is to let you know that on 17-18 November, AsktheEU.org will

Message to AsktheEU.org Users – Latest news and server transfer2020-01-30T10:20:28+01:00
13 Nov 2014

“If there is something you have always wanted to know, why not ask?” – Interview with Vicky Cann

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

[Originally published on AsktheEU.org on 13 November 2014] Madrid, 13 November 2014 - Vicky Cann is a campaigner for Corporate Europe Observatory, a research and campaign group working to expose and challenge the privileged access and influence enjoyed by corporations and lobby groups in EU policy making. Vicky makes access to documents requests through AsktheEU.org to expose potential conflicts of interest or highlight where the EU revolving door rules have not been followed. She spoke to Andreas Pavlou of Access Info Europe about her experiences. - Thank you Vicky for taking time out to speak with us about your experience

“If there is something you have always wanted to know, why not ask?” – Interview with Vicky Cann2018-11-13T10:11:35+01:00
Original content developed by Access Info Europe and is made public under a Creative Commons Attribution, Share Alike licence.