Good morning,
Yesterday, a group of 150 journalists from across Europe united to urge the European Commission to stop undermining EU transparency laws.
In an open letter (an initiative led by Alexander Fanta and Jean Comte), reporters and editors called on the EU commissioner in charge of transparency, Maroš Šefčovič, to uphold and strengthen the fundamental right of access to information — ensuring that requests are handled in a timely, fair, and effective manner.
EUobserver is proud to be part of the list of signatories, alongside Follow the Money, Investigate Europe, The Guardian, Le Monde, Financial Times, AFP, DeSmog, The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and many others.
It is too often the case that journalists navigating the FOI (Freedom of Information) process encounter long delays, unresponsiveness, or vague rejections.
In fact, in 2023, the European Ombudsman found that the commission missed deadlines in 85 percent of access to information requests. As the open letter reads: “We believe that 'justice delayed is justice denied,’ and these delays significantly hinder journalists from fulfilling their public watchdog role”.
The broad use of exceptions to deny access to documents — something the EU Ombudsman has flagged multiple times — is also a real issue. The more powerful this self-proclaimed "geopolitical commission" becomes, the more transparent it should be. But that’s far from the case.
To be clear: what we’re asking the commission to do is simply uphold EU law, the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
BTW! The third edition of Secrecy Tracker, a newsletter launched by Investigate Europe, EUobserver, and Follow the Money EU to expose the lack of transparency in the European Union, is also out. If you have any suggestions for our next issue, please send me your ideas via email (esn@euobserver.com).
- Elena Sánchez Nicolás, editor-in-chief
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