Open Access and Scientific information in the digital age

The recent conference "Scientific information in the digital age: Ensuring current and future access for research and innovation" hosted by the European Commission on 15-16 February 2007 in Brussels http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/190&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN
(press release)

It has been an important milestone in the policy debate on the scientific information system.

See the joint Communication on "Scientific information in the digital age: access, dissemination and preservation " , presented by J.Potočnik, Commissioner for Science and Research, and V. Reding, Commissioner for Information society and media, and adopted in February
2007.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/document_library/pdf_06/communication-022007_en.pdf

This Communication offers an entry point for discussion within the Council of Ministers, at the Member State level, and within funding bodies and intergovernmental research organisations. Issues to be addressed include dissemination and access strategies (e.g. Open Access), publishing business models (e.g. reader-pay, author-pay), and the relation between scientific publication and research excellence.

In such conference have been presented to Jan Potocnik more than 20.000 subscriptions to petition on OA: citizens from across Europe and around the world have signed the petition.

Furthermore has been stablished the EUA European University Association Working Group on Open Access.

On contrary front some Publishers (35) have presented a declaration against Open Access noted as Bruxelles Declaration on STM Publishing and dated 14 February 2007.