TRANSPARENCY DURING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
IN TIMES OF EMERGENCY, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION BECOME MORE NECESSARY THAN EVER
What’s going on in Spain? Ratification of the Council of Europe Convention, a New 4-year OGP Action Plan, and a new Director for the Transparency Council
Madrid, 2 October 2020- The global news headlines might be talking about the worrying rise in coronavirus infections in Madrid - and the new lockdown - but there is also a lot of good news for transparency activists coming out of Spain this week, beautifully timed to coincide with International Access to Information Day on 28 September.
International Access to Information Day 2020: European governments urged to ratify Convention on Access to Official Documents
Madrid, 28 September 2020- On the occasion of International Access to Information Day, the pro-transparency organisation Access Info Europe is calling on the governments of the European region to sign and ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents, which will come into force on 1 December 2020, and to commit to strengthening this fundamental right.
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.
European Medicines Agency: Open letter calling for an email address
Madrid, 31 August 2020 – An open letter, signed by 28 health organisations, transparency associations, and academics, has called on the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to take the simple step of providing an email address so that EU citizens can send access to documents requests directly via email.
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,
Why continued support for transparency is essential to recovering from the coronavirus crisis
Madrid, 13 July 2020 – Access Info Europe has joined 83 civil society organisations from around the world in calling on donors to continue funding transparency and accountability in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis. In an open letter, the signatories welcomed efforts by donors
Foto de portada: PK Bazaar via Flick (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)