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21 Jul 2017

EU’s top court confirms that all documents held by European Commission fall under access to documents rules

2018-11-13T10:03:19+01:00

Madrid, 21 July 2017 - Access Info Europe welcomed this week’s ruling from the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union, that the Commission cannot automatically refuse access to whole categories of documents in its possession. The Court confirmed that the EU institutions should always apply the EU’s access to documents rules to any documents they hold, regardless of the original authors. “Sometimes it’s important to confirm basic principles of this fundamental right, such as that if the Commission holds a document, it has to process a request, and there can never be automatic denials, no

EU’s top court confirms that all documents held by European Commission fall under access to documents rules2018-11-13T10:03:19+01:00
14 Sep 2016

European Commission Withdraws Automated August Holiday Delay Message

2018-11-13T10:04:00+01:00

Madrid, 14 September 2016 - Access Info Europe has welcomed the decision by the European Commission not to repeat August's automatic "out-of-office" style message warning requesters that there might be delays in processing their requests due to the summer holidays. This decision came after Access Info's Executive Director Helen Darbishire sent a letter to the Commission on 1 September 2016 expressing concerns about the automatic response, which read "Due to the holiday period in August, some delays may occur in the treatment of your access-to-documents request." In a rapid reply sent on 7 September 2016, the head of the EU's

European Commission Withdraws Automated August Holiday Delay Message2018-11-13T10:04:00+01:00
2 Sep 2016

Your fundamental right might have to wait, I’m out of office

2018-11-13T10:04:00+01:00

Madrid, 2 September 2016 - Since the beginning of August, requesters of access to EU documents may have noticed the following automated messages from the Secretariat General warning them about possible delays to dealing with requests: “Due to the holiday period in August, some delays may occur in the treatment of your access-to-documents request, especially where the processing of data requires the consultation of national administrations, external organisations or other services.” So far during August, Access Info has counted 22 instances of this specific message appearing on the AsktheEU.org request platform. It is unacceptable for citizens to have to anticipate

Your fundamental right might have to wait, I’m out of office2018-11-13T10:04:00+01:00
20 Nov 2015

Journalists take European Parliament to Court over access to MEPs’ expenses

2018-11-13T10:04:37+01:00

Madrid, 20 November 2015 - The refusal by the European Parliament to make public details on spending of MEPs expenses allowances on grounds of personal data protection has been challenged before the European Court of Justice by a network of journalists from each of the 28 Member States. This initiative was started by Slovenian journalist Anuška Delić who discovered that she could get information about the expenses of members of the Slovenian parliament but not about Slovenian MEPs in Brussels. Welcoming the legal challenge, Access Info argued that the European Parliament should be setting a standard for levels of transparency

Journalists take European Parliament to Court over access to MEPs’ expenses2018-11-13T10:04:37+01:00
21 Aug 2015

Access Info submits recommendations to European Parliament on improving EU transparency

2020-01-29T11:14:30+01:00

Madrid, 21 August 2015 - Access Info Europe today sent recommendations on improving transparency in the EU in law and in practice to Sven Giegold MEP (Greens, Germany) rapporteur for the Initiative Report for Transparency, Integrity and Accountability in the EU institutions. Key problems that need to be addressed urgently include ensuring that all exceptions to the right of access to documents are subject to a public interest test, and that recently-introduced artificial barriers to access such as the need to supply a postal address be removed. Access Info’s recommendations are based on analysis of the ways the EU’s access

Access Info submits recommendations to European Parliament on improving EU transparency2020-01-29T11:14:30+01:00
24 Jun 2015

European Commission urged to act to improve transparency

2018-11-13T10:04:49+01:00

Madrid, 24 June 2015 – In a letter to European Commission Vice-President Timmermans as part of an ongoing dialogue, Access Info Europe has called for action to improve EU transparency in law and in practice. The pro-transparency organisation stressed the urgent need to bring the EU’s access to documents rules into line with international standards, and raised concerns about problems accessing key documents, as observed in responses to requests submitted on the AsktheEU.org platform. Access Info’s analysis of the EU’s access to documents Regulation 1049/2001 using the RTI Rating, found that although it scores a solid 96 out of 150,

European Commission urged to act to improve transparency2018-11-13T10:04:49+01:00
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