About: public sector information

Europe needs to get serious about open data

Saturday (5 March) is Open Data Day, and Paul MacDonell calls for EU member states to commit to opening data in the public sector, as the potential benefits are huge.

The evolving role of regional representations in Brussels

Brussels can be considered the world capital of lobbying for local and regional authorities, but the activities of their representations distinguish them from classic interest groups and lobbies, argue Michel Huysseune and M. Theo Jans of Brussels Studies.

E-gov: When the town hall has all the answers you need

The European Commission has just nominated the "Hands" project, aimed at facilitating communication between citizens and public administrations, as the best e-government initiative of 2007. But while "Hands" is yet to be applied, for over a year citizens in the Belgian city of Waterloo have been able to ask for information from the town hall through an easy-to-use robot.

Parliament committee stays tough on re-use of public sector information

The Parliament's industry committee adopted in its second reading nine compromise amendments to the Council's common position on the re-use of public sector information.

Commercial exploitation of public sector information

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.

Council concludes deal on re-use of public sector information

The Union's telecommunications ministers reached a political agreement on 27 March on a draft Directive on the re-use of public sector documents.