21 Dec 2016

International Standards for Lobbying Regulation

2018-11-13T09:46:11+01:00

The International Standards for Lobbying Regulation are the result of two years of collaborative work with civil society led by Transparency International, Access Info Europe, Sunlight Foundation and Open Knowledge. This initiative is unique in that it draws on the experience of a broad coalition of civil society organisations active in the field of lobbying transparency and open governance, and goes further than existing regulations and standards. The Standards aim at providing clear guidance to policymakers, governments and international organisations that are thinking of or are in the process of enacting lobbying legislation. They also serve as a reference point

International Standards for Lobbying Regulation2018-11-13T09:46:11+01:00
12 May 2016

Spain: NGOs go to court to obtain documents about lobbying on a controversial energy law

2018-11-13T10:10:41+01:00

Madrid 12 May 2016 – Two Spanish NGOs are challenging in court a decision by the Transparency Council granting only partial access to lobby documents submitted during elaboration of a controversial 2015 Law that imposes prohibitive taxes on use of home-produced energy (such as from solar power). Access Info Europe and the Platform for a New Energy Model in December 2015 had requested all documents submitted by third parties to the Ministry of Industry; the Ministry denied access on the grounds that the documents are “internal”, invoking one of the most problematic provisions of Spain’s 2013 Transparency Law. The Transparency

Spain: NGOs go to court to obtain documents about lobbying on a controversial energy law2018-11-13T10:10:41+01:00
22 Jan 2016

Access Info sets out transparency priorities for EU with Green/EFA Group

2018-11-13T10:10:55+01:00

Madrid, 22 January 2016 – Access Info Europe has outlined key actions that will help to increase transparency of EU decision-making and lobbying, in its submission as part of a consultation on civil society priority areas held by the Green/EFA Group. The pro-transparency organisation called upon the Greens to push EU institutions towards the proactive publication of information such as agendas, minutes, and participants of meetings between EU public officials and lobbyists. Access Info Europe also called for the currently-secret interinstitutional “trialogue” meetings to be made public, as part of an agenda to open up lobbying activities and decision-making processes

Access Info sets out transparency priorities for EU with Green/EFA Group2018-11-13T10:10:55+01:00
10 Apr 2015

Seeking Sign-ons for Letter to European Commission on Lobby Transparency

2018-11-13T09:46:34+01:00

Madrid, 10 April 2015 - The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU), which Access Info participates in as a Steering Committee member, is seeking sign-ons from civil society organisations for a letter to European Vice-President Frans Timmermans, as part of our campaign to improve lobbying transparency in Brussels. The EU has a voluntary lobby register that covers the European Parliament and European Commission. The register is meant to tell us who the EU's lobbyists are; who they are working for; how much they spend on influencing policy; and what specific dossiers they lobby on. Yet the lobby register

Seeking Sign-ons for Letter to European Commission on Lobby Transparency2018-11-13T09:46:34+01:00
27 Jan 2015

EU lobby register: still failing to deliver real transparency

2018-11-13T10:11:27+01:00

Madrid/Brussels, 27 January 2015 - New research, published today, shows that the EU lobby register is failing to provide full transparency on lobbying as many financial lobbyists, major corporations, law firms and lobby consultancies that are actively working to influence EU law, are still not registered. The research by the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU), which is led by a steering committee that includes Access Info, demonstrates that the current voluntary approach to lobby regulation does not provide full transparency of lobbying in Brussels. In addition, the European Commission's current proposal to enact a new lobby register

EU lobby register: still failing to deliver real transparency2018-11-13T10:11:27+01:00