Public authorities in the European Union have taken some steps to promote the re-use of public sector information, but need to go considerably further, the European Commission said May 7.

In a review of the impact of a 2003 Directive (2003/98/EC) setting out common rules for the re-use of public sector information (PSI), the Commission found that public authorities had started to unlock some of their information resources, but that progress had been uneven and "big barriers still exist."

The intention of the 2003 PSI Directive was to allow generally free access to data held by public authorities, such as mapping information, weather data, and historical and cultural archives. This would stimulate the development of new products and services, it was argued.

However, according to the Commission review, most EU countries implemented the legislation late, and there had been "attempts by public sector bodies to maximise cost recovery...[and] practical issues hindering re-use, such as the lack of information on available PSI, and the mindset of public sector bodies failing to realise the economic potential."

However, the review added that there was no need to revise the rules, because it was too early to make a full assessment of the benefits of the legislation, and because a transitional arrangement allowing exclusive arrangements on data access to continue until the end of 2008 had only just ended. The Commission said it would conduct a further review in 2012. In the meantime, public bodies must "remove remaining barriers to re-use: discrimination between potential users, high charges for public sector information and complex licensing policies," the Commission said.

According to the Commission, the economic value of data held by public bodies in the EU is in the region of €27 billion, and some sectors had seen significant change as a result of the PSI Directive. For example, the Commission said, "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 percent increase in data downloads from 2002 to 2007, and the EU meteorological market was estimated in 2006 at €530 million, a 60 percent increase since 1998. This type of public sector information is used by broadcasting companies, the tourist industry, agriculture and insurance companies."

To access the Commission’s PSI review, click here.