European Commission publishes Public Sector Information Consultation Report
In June 2013 EU Directive 2013/37/EU, which revises Directive 2003/98/EC on the re-use of public sector information ("PSI"), was published. The purpose of the revisions is to encourage cross-border use of PSI by harmonising provisions for PSI re-use across Europe. The European Commission (the "Commission") intends to produce guidelines to ensure that the revisions are effectively put into practice. The guidelines will focus particularly on:
| PSI contained in datasets that should be made available across Europe for re-use as a matter of priority (i.e. 'core' data); | |||
| recommended standard licence terms to govern the re-use of PSI; and | |||
| charging for the re-use of PSI. | |||
In August 2013 the Commission began a public consultation on the proposed guidelines. The consultation included an online survey, a public hearing open to all interested parties and a meeting of the Public Sector Information Group, composed of representatives from all EU Member States. The UK was particularly well represented in the survey. The public consultation results were published in December 2013, and some key findings are set out below.
| 1. | PSI information contained in datasets When asked which factors should be taken into account by national authorities when categorising certain PSI data as 'core' data, opinion was evenly split between those who felt that priority should be given to the opportunity for commercial re-use and those who preferred to give priority to non-commercial re-use. A relatively high number of submissions also focussed on other determining factors, such as the usefulness of the information and the importance of transparency. The online survey also presented a pre-defined list of 'high-value' datasets for consideration by those responding. There was general consensus that virtually all of these suggested datasets (including geospatial data and information in the fields of transport, earth observation, environment and public finances) should be categorised as 'core' datasets in order to secure their availability. | ||
| 2. | Licensing Many expressed a preference for a licensing system for the re-use of PSI that would facilitate smooth interoperation between the EU Member States and most believed that this would be best achieved by the adoption of standard-form licences. | ||
| 3. | Charging This issue generated the most varied feedback in the online survey, with a slight majority favouring relatively low charging for PSI re-use. The more 'technical' questions, which looked at methods of fee calculation and the types of data to which charges should be applied, revealed a considerable level of hesitation and indecision. As the Commission has pointed out, this may suggest that the market for PSI re-use in Europe is still developing and that established practices and trends have still to fully emerge. | ||
The Commission has yet to provide information on when it intends to act on the results of the public consultation.
