25
At the European Level
•In Europe, recognition is slowly emerging that
open access to government information is critical to the information
society, environmental protection, and economic growth. Current developments
are encouraging and may have considerable impact on the European
economies.
•Recent trends towards more “liberal”
policies still face opposition from “entrepreneurial” civil servants in charge
of “government commercialization” initiatives, who engage
in anti-competitive practices to thwart the growth of perceived private
sector competitors.
•A Directive on PSI in 2002? Will not
deal sufficiently with issues of access (look
at escape clauses in recent Communication) and will allow Agencies to
continue cost recovery practices