This online event is held with the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol and is supported by the Economic and Social Research Council's as part of the Festival of Social Sciences . We will look at how governments have sought to maintain secrecy in the EU, and teach you how you can exercise your right to access information.

Register for free here.

Obtaining access to information about the law, policy and practice of EU institutions is crucial to the work of lawyers, journalists, campaigners, academics and students – both inside and outside of the EU. In this workshop we will look at how governments have sought to maintain secrecy in the EU, how individuals and organizations have fought back, and teach you how you can exercise your right to access information.

We will look back at Statewatch’s work since the late 1990s to hold institutions accountable and enhance transparency as a means of improving available information and enhancing public debate. This has been particularly essential in sectors – such as Justice and Home Affairs – in which “security” is often cited as justification for secrecy. Statewatch’s methods of monitoring institutional developments and submitting access to documents requests has since become standard practice in investigative journalism.

Information to access the event and to register your attendance can be found here.

You can find out more about the Festival of Social Science here.