ACCESSING COMPANY REGISTERS
USING THE RIGHT TO KNOW
ONLY 1 OUT OF 32 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ALLOWS FREE, PUBLIC
ACCESS TO ITS ENTIRE COMPANY REGISTER
European governments, by putting these obstacles to accessing company register data, are complicit in blocking investigative journalists in their work uncovering criminal activities, money laundering, and tax evasion.
Experts’ views
Why is it important for the public to have full, free access to company registers?
Users perspective on access to company registers:
The Findings
The map below summarises the results of the request process, which took almost two years to complete.
To find out more about what happened in each country, click on the map or use the country-by-country list below:
Map Key
In red…Refused access to info
In orange…Process still ongoing
In green…Gave full access to info
In blue…Administrative silence
OPEN COMPANY REGISTERS LATEST NEWS
Call to protect EU’s Number One Anti-Corruption Instrument: Open Company Registers!
Brussels, 9 December 2020 – On International Anti-Corruption Day 2020, 101 leading transparency, anti-corruption and open data organisations along with investigative journalists from across Europe have called on the European Commission and national governments to act to ensure that company registers, including ownership and corporate structure data, are freely accessible and published in open data format. In an open letter
Balancing the right to information with the right to privacy during a pandemic: Access Info discusses lessons learned and next steps at RightsCon
Access Info Europe and the Open Data Charter co-hosted a RightsCon panel where they spoke with data and privacy experts on the importance of making data open during the Covid-19 pandemic, while ensuring both the public’s safety and the privacy of the individual.
Helen Darbishire, new Chair of the UNCAC Coalition
Madrid, 28 August 2020– Access Info Europe is glad to announce that its director, Helen Darbishire, has been elected as the new Chair of the UNCAC Coalition, the network that coordinates civil society activity in monitoring and promoting the UN Convention against Corruption.
Transparency as a Priority for the UN General Assembly Special Session on Corruption
Madrid, 15 July 2020 - Access Info Europe has called for the right of access to information to be treated as priority during the first UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) against corruption, to be held in April 2021 in New York. In its submission to preparation of the UNGASS, Access Info recalls that the United Nations Convention against Corruption
Access Info joins the UNCAC Coalition Board
Madrid, 17 June 2020 – Access Info Europe, represented by its director, Helen Darbishire, has been elected to the UNCAC Coalition Coordinating Committee, the network that coordinates civil society activity in monitoring and promoting the UN Convention against Corruption. Access Info was elected to one of the two international seats on the UNCAC Coalition Coordinating Committee, with 75.7% of the
Ten Recommendations on Transparency in Covid-19 Emergency Procurement
Madrid, 4 May 2020- Leading transparency and anti-corruption organisations from across Europe have today released a set of ten recommendations on how governments can ensure transparency of emergency procurement carried out during the coronavirus pandemic.