The Commission wants to establish a European
framework for the commercial exploitation of public-sector
information. This minimum harmonisation should provide a degree
of legal certainty for the market players while leaving Member
States free to choose how to adapt the provisions to local
circumstances. Main issues in the debate are the level of
harmonisation (obligation versus encouraging the re-use of the
information, the charging principles (for free or at costs
price), and issues of intellectual property. With this
proposal, the Commission wants to stimulate the development of
a European market for digital content products and wireless
content services.