In order to succeed in the transition to a highly competitive knowledge economy, the European Union needs to create a "fifth freedom" - the free movement of knowledge. Member States and the Commission are invited to deepen their dialogue and expand their cooperation in order to further identify and remove obstacles to the cross-border mobility of knowledge.
Now, the easiest and most obvious way of removing "obstacles to the cross-border mobility of knowledge" would, of course, be to mandate open access.
Of which there is no mention whatsoever in said communication. (Via Open Access News.)
Totally.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to argue with Suber's concluding comment:-
"It's hard to avoid seeing a pattern here: first, the Research Commissioner disregards the arguments for an EU-wide OA policy, and then the EU Ministers disregard the OA connection when acknowledging the need for the fifth freedom".
Indeed. There are some interesting things happening in the background that we are not privy to....
ReplyDelete