Madrid, 22 June 2011

(by Daniel Dietrich)

According to the Madrid based NGO Access Info Europe the Current draft would not guarantee greater transparency. On their website Access Info Europe, an NGO specialising in government transparency, welcomed this move, but noted that the current draft law has been severely criticised by national and international experts for falling below the Council of Europe minimum standards. From the Article published by Access Info:

"Access Info Europe today called on all political parties to ensure that the future access to information law will fully guarantee the fundamental right of access to information, as protected by international treaties and the laws of over 80 countries worldwide. The most recent countries to adopt access to information laws were Nigeria (28 May 2011 and Mongolia (16 June 2011).

“The ‘true democracy’ the protesters in the Madrid’s central plaza, the Puerta del Sol, are calling for is a democracy in which citizens can know what the state is doing with their money,” commented Victoria Anderica de Access Info Europe. “With the draft which was leaked to Access Info Europe last year, this will be impossible.”

The shortcomings in the leaked law mean that it will: • Not apply to all public bodies • Not apply to all information held by public bodies• Not guarantee a reasonable timeframe for receiving information

The draft also fails to recognise that the right to know is a fundamental right guaranteed by international treaties and hence by the freedom of expression and information provisions of the Spanish Constitution."

See also:

Materials about the right of access to information in Spain (include texts of the laws and analysis made by Access Info Europe).

The Coalición Pro Acceso is a platform of Spanish civil society Organisation to promote access to information in Spain. The Coalición Pro Acceso has defined nine essential principles that should be included in a future law on access to information in Spain. You can find out more information at www.proacceso.org