Europe: Commission calls for action to unlock public sector information re-use

Commission calls for action to unlock public sector information re-use
<http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=4891>

(07/05/2009) European citizens use products and services based on the vast
amounts of information produced, collected and shared by public sector bodies,
such as car navigation systems, weather forecasts and financial and insurance
services, on a daily basis. But despite its economic value, estimated at €27
billion, much of Europe's public sector information, from statistics to
traffic information, is however still not re-used. EU rules making it easier
to re-use public sector information have had a positive impact on the public
sector information market, the Commission said today. However, it also noted
that the sector has not yet generated its full potential for the European
economy. It called on EU Member States to implement practical measures such as
making it easier to get a license to re-use public sector information, to put
an end to exclusive agreements, to identify information that could be reused
and make it easily available, to ensure that EU rules have a positive impact
on the economy.

The Commission today reported on the impact of common EU rules on the re-use
of public sector information (the PSI Directive) put in place in 2003
(IP/02/814). The Directive sets out how public sector bodies should make their
information available for re-use in order to remove barriers such as
discriminatory practices, monopoly markets and a lack of transparency. It says
that commercial re-use of public sector information is now being encouraged by
Member States, exclusive agreements in some Member States have been ended and
charges for re-use have been lowered.

The Commission's review confirmed the positive impact of the PSI Directive in
different sectors across the EU: in the geographical sector, the volume of
information, such as cadastral or environmental information or maps,
downloaded from public sector bodies has grown by about 350% since 2002. For
example, the popular personal navigation systems are based on maps produced by
the public sector, and their sale worldwide is expected to grow from 30.7
million units in 2007 to 68 million units in 2012. National meteorological
offices have reported a 70% increase in data downloads from 2002 to 2007, and
the EU meteorological market was estimated in 2006 at €530 million, a 60%
increase since 1998. This type of public sector information is used by
broadcasting companies, the tourist industry, agriculture and insurance companies.

However, the Commission warned that to realise the full potential of public
sector information for the EU economy Member States must remove remaining
barriers to re-use: discrimination between potential users, high charges for
public sector information and complex licensing policies. It also highlighted
practical problems such as lack of awareness on what public sector information
is available, and public sector bodies failing to realise the economic
potential of their data.

This can be done by ending exclusive agreements, avoiding unfair competition
and making public sector information resources easily identifiable and
available to businesses and the public, lowering costs for disseminating
information and setting up quick and inexpensive conflict resolution mechanisms.

The Commission will review whether this has been done by 2012, when more
evidence on the impact, effects and application of EU rules on public sector
information will be available. Until then, the Commission will closely monitor
implementation and application of the PSI Directive in the Member States,
particularly exclusive agreements, and encourage authorities to take measures
that facilitate the re-use of public sector information.

Background:

The EU adopted the PSI Directive in 2003 to overcome the barriers that limit
cross-border re-use of public sector information following a Commission
proposal (IP/02/814).
<http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/02/814&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=nl>

The Commission's review
<http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/psi/>

Examples of commercial products and services that use public sector information
<http://www.epsiplus.net/products>