The Commission published today its long awaited and widely commented Digital Single Market (DSM) Strategy . In its Communication, the Commission underlines the aim to make Europe a more competitive and efficient global player, by laying the ground for its digital future. OpenForum Europe, the independent advocacy organisation for open technologies, welcomes the determination of the Commission to take the required steps in order to go fully digital, ensure cross-border access to services and further develop the European e-society. Having ‘Openness’ at the core of its beliefs and credentials, OFE considers that some policy areas could benefit from more ambition in order to successfully achieve a Single Digital Market. “By its very nature, the digital market is global, fast-moving, and constantly refreshing technology. To maximise the opportunity for its citizens and for business, Europe needs to adopt an open culture, be totally determined to deliver the Digital Single Market across its Member States, and avoid the ambiguity that consensus can bring. Everything will be gained by being bold and looking to intercept new thinking, not by being held back by the past.”, said Graham Taylor, CEO of OpenForum Europe.
By its very nature, the digital market is global, fast-moving, and constantly refreshing technology. To maximise the opportunity for its citizens and for business, Europe needs to adopt an open culture.
- The modernisation of the EU copyright framework needs to ensure greater flexibility and address the fragmentation of divergent application of national copyright legislation across Member States.
- The European Union should ensure that any review of the European Standardisation system gives greater emphasis to maximising the opportunity of adopting truly open, including those produced by global standards produced by Fora and Consortia. It should also adopt an ambitious follow-up to the ISA programme, actively encouraging the re-use of ICT solutions between public services and a European-level interoperability based on open standards.
- The EU needs a more ambitious plan to adopt strong Net Neutrality rules, guaranteeing the continued openness of the Open Internet ecosystem, where no single actor can act as a gatekeeper.
OFE has developed a set of Openness Principles, which can provide guidance for achieving an Open Digital Single Market. Theses are: User-Centricity, Competition, Flexibility, Sustainability and Community, and can be applied to the specific focus areas addressed under the programme of the DSM. In its Vision Paper “Towards an Open Digital Single Market”, OFE presents a three pronged approach for the completion of the DSM, which is based on the Openness Principles above. This approach envelops an Open Culture, a Common Framework and being Digital by Default. On a dedicated website, OFE provides specific recommendations to achieve these goals.