Access Info Europe

What Access Info Europe does

Access Info Europe is a non-profit civil society organization founded in 2006 and headquartered in Madrid, Spain, dedicated to defending and promoting the right of access to information across Europe. The organization serves civil society groups, investigative journalists, public authorities, and citizens through advocacy campaigns, strategic litigation, training, and coalition-building, with thematic focus areas including EU transparency, anti-corruption, open government, lobby transparency, public procurement, migration, and human rights.

Its core technology stack consists of three publicly available web platforms: AsktheEU.org, a request platform that enables citizens and journalists to submit freedom-of-information requests to EU institutions; RTI-Rating.org, a methodology and dataset for benchmarking national access-to-information laws against international standards such as the Tromsø Convention; and the Legal Leaks toolkit, which provides journalists and civil society with practical guidance on using FOI laws. These tools are complemented by a publications library, training programs, and participation in EU and national public consultations.

Access Info Europe operates on a non-commercial model: all platforms, toolkits, and resources are provided free of charge, and the organization is funded primarily through grants from foundations, international bodies, and government agencies that support transparency and democracy initiatives. Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on coalition partnerships (notably the 500+ organization EU democracy coalition, the ATI Network Project with mySociety and Open Knowledge Foundation Germany, and national partners in Greece, Moldova, the Netherlands, and France), public campaigns, the Helen Darbishire Award, and engagement at forums such as the Open Government Partnership Summit. Following the death of founder Helen Darbishire in October 2024, Rachel Hanna serves as Executive Director.

Name

Access Info Europe

Legal name

Access Info Europe

Website

https://access-info.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Access Info Europe is a Madrid-based non-profit founded in 2006 that defends the right of access to information in Europe through advocacy, strategic litigation, training, and free public platforms (AsktheEU.org, RTI Rating, Legal Leaks), serving civil society, journalists, and citizens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Society Transparency Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Freedom, Access to Information & Digital Rights (BPADAGAE)

Keywords

• Access to information advocacy
• Freedom of information
• Transparency policy research
• Civil society advocacy
• Open government advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Institutional Grants: Access Info Europe operates as a non-profit organization primarily funded through grants from foundations, international organizations, and government agencies that support transparency and democracy initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Access Info Europe is a non-profit civil society organization that defends and promotes the right of access to information in Europe through advocacy, strategic litigation, legal analysis, training, and free public tools. It operates free web platforms — AsktheEU.org (for filing FOI requests to EU institutions), RTI Rating (for rating national ATI laws), and the Legal Leaks toolkit — that citizens, journalists, and NGOs use to request documents and benchmark transparency frameworks.

Product overview

Access Info Europe is a non-profit organization focused on defending and promoting the right of access to information in Europe. The organization operates a portfolio of transparency-focused websites and tools including AsktheEU.org (a public request platform for EU documents), RTI Rating (methodology for assessing access to information laws), and Legal Leaks (a toolkit for journalists). Beyond these digital tools, Access Info Europe provides advocacy campaigns, publications, training and assistance, and engages in litigation to advance transparency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AsktheEU.org Public request platform that enables EU citizens, journalists, and civil society organizations to file freedom-of-information requests to EU institutions and bodies.
• RTI Rating Methodology and online platform for rating and comparing access-to-information laws across countries against international transparency standards.
• Legal Leaks Toolkit Toolkit that helps journalists and civil society understand and use freedom-of-information laws to investigate and report on matters of public interest.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,000+ internal documents obtained through FOI requests, constituting world's largest archive on PFAS lobbying
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SPOONcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 July 2025Collaboration with SPOON to publish legal recommendations aimed at strengthening the Netherlands' Open Government Act (OGA) and aligning it with international transparency standards, including the Tromsø Convention.
• Open Knowledge FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 January 2025Partnership with Open Knowledge France to release recommendations on aligning the French Access to Documents Law with international standards and the Tromsø Convention.
• Vouliwatch (Greece)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2024National partner in Greece for the Access to Information Network Project, conducting analysis of Greece's access to information legal framework against international best practices.
• Lawyers for Human Rights (Moldova)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2024National partner in Moldova for the Access to Information Network Project, assessing Moldova's ATI legal framework against the Tromsø Convention standards.
• Open Government Partnership (OGP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizers of the Access Info Impact Award / Helen Darbishire Award, with OGP inviting winners to speak at the OGP Summit. Partnership honors the legacy of Helen Darbishire in championing access to information globally.
• mySocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the ATI Network Project, a three-year initiative to build a cohesive European community advocating for better access to information across the European region.
• Open Knowledge Foundation GermanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the ATI Network Project, working alongside Access Info Europe and mySociety to strengthen the right of access to information across Europe.
• Corporate Europe ObservatorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that led EU access-to-documents efforts in support of The Forever Lobbying Project investigation, which won the 2025 Helen Darbishire Award.
• Le MondecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead media partner for The Forever Lobbying Project, a cross-border investigation spanning 16 countries and involving 46 journalists and 18 multidisciplinary experts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• mySociety: UK-based civic-tech non-profit that builds FOI request platforms (e.g., WhatDoTheyKnow, Alaveteli) used across multiple countries. Directly comparable technology stack to AsktheEU.org and a current co-partner in Access Info Europe's ATI Network Project.
• Open Knowledge Foundation: Global non-profit advocating for open data and government transparency; Open Knowledge Foundation Germany is a current partner in Access Info Europe's ATI Network Project, and Open Knowledge France collaborates on country-level legal analyses. Highly comparable technology-and-advocacy profile.
• ARTICLE 19: International human-rights organization defending freedom of expression and access to information, with comparable EU-level advocacy and litigation work. The most direct functional peer to Access Info Europe on access-to-information policy.
• Corporate Europe Observatory: Brussels-based investigative and campaign group exposing corporate lobbying in the EU. Active partner on The Forever Lobbying Project and highly comparable in EU-document-request expertise.

Emerging players

• Privacy International: UK-based charity working on surveillance, data protection, and right-to-information issues. Comparable civil-society structure and EU-level advocacy footprint, with thematic overlap on transparency rights.
• Access Now: International digital-rights non-profit defending civil liberties online. Mission-adjacent peer with overlapping donor base and similar advocacy/litigation model, though focused more on digital rights than FOI specifically.
• Forbidden Stories: International consortium of journalists continuing the work of killed or threatened reporters. Comparable mission of coordinating cross-border investigative journalism to expose matters of public interest, including through FOI requests.

Broad incumbents

• Transparency International: Global civil-society organization focused on anti-corruption and government accountability. Highly comparable to Access Info Europe in mission and advocacy style, but operates at much larger scale across many countries and broader corruption-related mandates.
• Open Government Partnership: Multi-stakeholder initiative promoting government transparency and civic participation globally. Directly comparable mission; Access Info Europe co-organizes the Helen Darbishire Award with OGP, making it a partner and peer in the same ecosystem.
• Reporters Without Borders (RSF): Paris-based international NGO promoting press freedom and supporting journalists. Shares Access Info Europe's journalist-support orientation (Legal Leaks Toolkit) but operates at much larger scale with broader mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/access_info
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8-FGAh6zngmVOC8mmVpHoA
• Facebookfacebook.com/367870967220
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/access-info-europe
• Instagraminstagram.com/access.info

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Access Info Europe