ADVANCING THE RIGHT OF
ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN SPAIN
WE CAMPAIGN FOR GREATER TRANSPARENCY, IN LAW AND IN PRACTICE
Spain: Government goes to court to keep secret documents about … open government!
Madrid, 9 February 2016 - The Spanish government has launched a court case against Spain’s Transparency Council to challenge a decision that it should release documents relating to the implementation of Spain’s two Open Government Partnership action plans. In November 2015, Helen Darbishire, Executive Director of Access Info Europe, secured a ruling from the Transparency Council that the Ministry of
Madrid City Hall Transparency Ordinance Sets a High Standard
Civil society recommends strengthening proactive publication and lobbying regulation Madrid, 29 enero 2016 – Madrid City Hall has prepared a high standard and comprehensive Transparency Ordinance which meets with civil society demands in areas such as proactive publication obligations, the right of access to information, and regulation of lobbies, according to Access Info Europe and other members of Coalición Pro
Electronic ID requirements and government refusal to answer emails force civil society to close Spanish request website
Madrid, 10 December 2015 – It is with huge reluctance that Access Info Europe and Civio today announce the closure of the request website “Tu Derecho a Saber” (Your Right to Know) because the need to have an electronic ID and the refusal to respond to emails is making it impossible to help the public send requests. In the first
Documents used in decision making are not “internal” rules Spain’s Transparency Council
Madrid, 27 November 2015 – In another important decision from Spain’s Transparency Council, Access Info Europe has been granted access to Spanish government progress reports on Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitments. The Transparency Council’s decision rejects arguments by the Ministry of the Presidency that these documents, which were used as part of the decision-making process, are “internal documents.” In August
Access Info wins access to names of participants in meetings held by Spanish government
Madrid, 12 November 2015 – In an important ruling from Spain’s Transparency Council, Access Info Europe has won access to the names of participants in meetings held to discuss the Open Government Partnership (OGP). Welcoming this standard-setting ruling Access Info Europe noted that it should contribute to genuine accountability of decision-making processes. Helen Darbishire of Access Info, who presented the
Spain: Draft Regulation Limits Already Weak Transparency Law
Madrid, 13 July 2015 - Access Info Europe and the 65-member Coalición Pro Acceso have strongly criticised the draft implementing Regulation for Spain’s transparency law as a deliberate attempt by the government to further limit an already weak law and have called for it to be redrafted with urgency. Particularly egregious features of the Regulation include inverting the public interest
Cover photo: randomix via Flick (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)