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[FYI] Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on 'Public sector information'



CORDIS RTD-NEWS/© European Communities, 2000.  

Record Control Number: 14421  

Date: 2000-03-02  

Category: General policy  

General Information:  

The opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the Commission's green 
paper on public sector information in the Information Society, 
entitled 'Public sector information: a key resource for Europe', has 
been published on the Official Journal of the European Communities.  

As a principle, the COR supports the right of European citizens to 
have access to the information that affects their daily lives.  

The opinion notes the rapid growth of the Internet has meant that 
local and regional authorities are able to provide greater access to 
the information they hold. However, cultural and administrative 
differences mean the provision of this information can vary greatly. 
The COR says the Commission may wish to reflect on the most 
appropriate channels for providing information and to whom the 
information should be addressed.  

The need for protection and privacy of personal data is also noted in 
the opinion.  

The COR also states that local and regional authorities should be 
able to benefit from the commercial values inherent in the provision 
of information.  

The COR expressed its support on many principles regarding the terms 
of access and provision of public information, although it cautioned 
on the need to address practical issues of delivery of information 
and costs.  

The COR is also concerned about introducing binding legal information 
in this field, which may mitigate against the principle of 
subsidiarity. The COR suggests developing legislation at a 'lowest 
common denominator' level, and developing 'best practice' in the 
provision of the public sector.  

The Commission could consult via the COR with local and regional 
authorities to discuss the role of sub-national government in the 
provision of public sector information. The COR proposes a number of 
'pilot' local and regional authorities across the Member States be 
selected for this purpose, to report to the Commission on how 
principles of access could be translated into reality and on whether 
it would be possible to achieve greater commonality in information 
provision.  

To achieve a good dialogue between local, regional and national tiers 
of government, the COR would wish to see the encouragement of schemes 
in which local webmasters input information provided by the public 
sector.  

Furthermore, the COR notes that there is a growing need for education 
and training on accessing information delivered electronically, and 
would recommend that the Commission stresses this need to the Member 
States.  

Remarks:  

For further information please consult the text on the Official 
Journal of the European Communities.  

Data Source Provider: Official Journal of the European Communities  

Document Reference: OJ No C 57 of 29.2.2000, p 12  

Subject Index Codes: Information Processing, Information Systems