OPEN GOVERNMENT
ADVOCATING FOR GREATER TRANSPARENCY, PARTICIPATION
Spain: Another case of lack of transparency about transparency
Madrid, 1 July 2022 – This week Access Info submitted an appeal to the Spanish Transparency Council after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused access to any documents at all about Spain’s signature and ratification of the Tromsø Convention, arguing that disclosure might damage international relations. This refusal is perplexing given that ratification of the Tromsø Convention is a flagship
Spain: Why do we need so many OGP Local Members?
Madrid, 18 May 2022 – Access Info welcomes the news that two more Spanish regions – Asturias and Valencia - have joined Open Government Partnership’s local programme, making Spain the European country with the largest number of sub-national members, at six in total.[1] Access Info is calling on these regional governments to institute strong and inclusive multi-stakeholder forums, something which
OGP Summit Side Panel: How strong is your right to know?
14 December 2021 – The measurement of the right of access to information is still in its infancy, although there are now some important initiatives, including from UNESCO and the OECD to capture data from governments, whilst civil society projects are developing more in-depth tools to measure transparency in practice. The current state of measurement of the right to information
OGP governments urged to open company registers
Madrid, 10 June 2021- Speaking at the Ministerial Level meeting of the Open Government Partnership Steering Committee, Helen Darbishire of Access Info, in her role as a civil society member of the Steering Committee, stressed the need to act on the transparency agenda that the pandemic has indicated should be a top priority.
Open Government Week 2021: Survey finds European civil society is working largely unfunded on national Open Government Partnership activities
Madrid, 21 May 2021- As Open Government week is celebrated around the world, a survey of 24 transparency organisations reveals that most national Open Government Partnership work in Europe is largely unfunded: of an estimated total value of OGP-related work of € 435,220 reported by survey respondents, a full 60%, or €261,130 is unfunded.
Spain’s Ambitious four-year OGP Action Plan Adopted
Spain has adopted an ambitious four-year Open Government Action Plan, replete with measures called for by Access Info, including reform of the 2013 Transparency Law, ratification of the Convention on Access to Official Documents, new laws on lobby regulation and whistleblower protection, and the opening of key data, including the company register and some health service data.
Cover photo: International Open Data Conference via Flick (CC BY 2.0)