Access Info joins OSCE in calling for withdrawal of amendments   Madrid, 4 June 2013 – Access Info Europe today raised concerns that proposed amendments to the Law on Freedom of Access to Information of Bosnia and Herzegovina would exclude large volumes of information from the right of access to information. In separating the freedom of information law from the law on personal data protection, the proposed amendments, in particular Article 8.2, introduce restrictions on access to data of clear public interest, such as spending of public funds on healthcare, or copies of court decisions. “The poorly drafted and ill-considered

Unsatisfactory (73%) versus satisfactory (27%) responses to requests • Italian public institutions do not answer, refuse or gave inadequate answers to 73% of requests from citizens and the media; • Only 27% of 300 rquests resulted in release of information, of which just 13% received full information. Perugia, 25 April 2013 – Italians are asking questions but the Italian government gives very few answers: The findings of the first and most extensive access to information monitoring ever carried out in Italy show that almost three times out of four, requests for information on matters such as public expenditure, health, environment

Morgane Dussud, Madrid, 15 February 2013 – Access Info Europe calls upon the French government to make clear its position on participation in the Open Government Partnership and to take steps to join the multilateral, multi-stakeholder initiative. As part of work around the Open Government Standards project, Access Info has been evaluating the current confused relationship between non-member France and the OGP.

Milan, 17 January 2013 – The Legal Leaks Toolkit was launched today in Milan at a meeting of journalists and civil society organisations. The Italian version of the toolkit was prepared by Diritto di Sapere with input from Ernesto Belisario, lawyer and founder of the Italian Open Government Association, and Luca Bolognini, lawyer and president of the Italian Institute for Privacy.

New Italian Right to Information NGO: Diritto di Sapere Milan, 20 July 2012: Access Info Europe’s director Helen Darbishire was in Milan on 20 July 2012 as one of the founders of the new Italian right to information organisation Diritto di Sapere (“Right to know”). Guido Romeo (l) and Helen Darbishire (r) sign papers with Notary in Milan, Italy.

International Conference on the Right of Access to Information in Cyprus 21st-22nd November 2011      Report and Recommendations

The Open Cyprus Project launches its Report: access to information is the exception and silence the rule in Cyprus. 24 February 2011, Nicosia/Madrid: With a level of 75% of administrative silence in response to information requests, public bodies across the island are violating the public’s fundamental right to know according to the Open Cyprus Project. The largest ever monitoring of access to  information in Cyprus found systematic breaches, in particular the non-responsiveness of public bodies resulting in 72% administrative silences in the Republic of Cyprus and 78% administrative silences in the northern part of Cyprus. Of the 393 requests submitted