Press Release: Digital Agenda: Turning government data into gold

The European Commission launched an Open Data Strategy for Europe in December 2011, which is expected to deliver a €40 billion boost to the EU's economy each year. The proposals will update the 2003 European directive on the re-use of public sector information.

Europe’s public administrations are sitting on a goldmine of unrealised economic potential: the large volumes of information collected by numerous public authorities and services. Member States such as the United Kingdom and France are already demonstrating this value.

The strategy to lift performance EU-wide is three-fold:

+ the Commission will lead by example, opening its vaults of information to the public for free through a new data portal.

+ a level playing field for open data across the EU will be established.

+ these new measures are backed by the €100 million which will be granted in 2011-2013 to fund research into improved data-handling technologies.

• Primary Source

European Commission: Memo/11/891: Digital Agenda: Commission's Open Data Strategy, Questions & answers http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/11/891&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

La Stampa, 16.12.11: The new gold mine of open data (via PressEurop) http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/1300911-new-gold-mine-open-data

EUObserver, 13.12.11: EU to make public data easily accessible http://euobserver.com/22/114613

EurActiv, 13.12.11: Brussels launches campaign for open data http://www.euractiv.com/infosociety/brussels-launches-open-data-campaign-news-509655

European Commission: DG Information Society: Open Data http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/psi/open_data/index_en.htm

European Commission: Speech/11/872: Neelie Kroes: Data is the new gold http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/11/872&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

---