The legal framework of public sector information: Recent legal policy developments in the EC

In 1989 the Commission of the European Community issued "Guidelines for improving the synergy between the public and private sectors in the information market." This issuance brought to the attention of the member states the importance of public sector information in the development of a common information services market. The availability of public sector information, however, is affected by legal regulations ranging from copyright, competition law, and secrecy to more recent rules on data protection and access to government information. Against this background, the General Directorate XIII of the Commission authorized a study of the possible effects of such regulations on the commercialization of public sector information in the member states and any possible Community action. This article summarizes the basic observations of the project group carrying out this study, the PUBLAW I project, and analyzes recent developments.