Feedback One of the ways in which Access Info can measure the impact it is having is through your responses to our emails. Below you will find some reactions to our work on the European Union, particularly the successful Court Case against the Council of the EU, and The Secret State of EU Transparency Reforms report. "It surprises us time and time again how governments committed to transparency by rethoric forget its importance when it comes to them. It is sad that often judicial decisions to remind governments whom they represent and to whom they are accountable. We need to

The Secret State of EU Transparency Reforms 16 of 27 Member States refuse to provide information on EU transparency negotiations Brussels/Madrid, Monday 21 March 2011: European citizens can’t find out from either Brussels or from national governments which countries are lobbying against EU transparency, according to a report launched by the NGO Access Info Europe this week. The report is launched just before an expected ruling by the European Court of Justice on 22 March in the case of Access Info Europe vs. the Council. The pro-transparency organization is challenging the Council’s concealment of Member State positions on the reform

Access Info's European Union Press Releases To see other press releases not exclusively related to the European Union, please click here 2011 16 of 27 Member States refuse to provide information on EU transparency negotiations Brussels/Madrid, Monday 21 March 2011 - European citizens can’t find out from either Brussels or from national governments which countries are lobbying against EU transparency, according to a report launched by the NGO Access Info Europe this week. Read more... General Court of the European Union rules refusal illegitimate - Access Info wins vs. EU Council Brussels/Madrid, Monday 22 March 2011 - The General Court

Access Info's Advocacy for Greater EU Transparency The access to information requests filed by Access Info are only the beginning of a long journey towards our goal of greater transparency in the European Union. Using this research, we can then write reports on the state of transparency in the European Union, make recommendations based on our specific expertise, and rally all those interested in their Right to Know what the EU is doing. To find out more about our work, click on one of the links below. Partnerships Specifically for EU access to documents campaigning, Access Info Europe has teamed

European Union Principles on Access to Parliament, Council and Commission Documents Background The European Union’s equivalent of an access to information law has the formal title of Regulation No 1049/2001 regarding Public Access to European Parliament, Council and Commission Documents (henceforth, Regulation 1049/2001). It grants members of the public and legal entities the right to access documents held, transmitted or received by the EU institutions.

Proposed Amendments to EU Access to Documents Regulation 1049/2001 In 2008, after a relatively short seven years of application during which the European Commission lost a number of key cases overturning its refusals to grant access to documents, it proposed a complete recasting of the Regulation 1049/2001. The justifications for this include bringing it into line with the Lisbon Treaty which expands the scope of the regulation to apply to all EU institutions and all requesters. Another reason given by the Commission is the need to incorporate the provisions of the Aarhus Convention on access to environmental information into the