Open Standards under threat in Europe
EIFv2: Updated analysis available
The European Commission is currently trying to get a new draft of the European Interoperability Framework (EIF) approved by Member States. The draft gives rise to concerns that the Commission is giving up its worldwide leadership in the use of Open Standards, hurting innovation, competition and user freedom in Europe. FSFE has updated its analysis page, comparing the current draft with previous versions, as well as demands from a proprietary lobby group. Ahead of Document Freedom Day on March 31, FSFE is in conversation with EC and Member State decision makers to make them aware of the problem.
Where the previous EIF included a relatively strong definition of Open Standards, the draft revision which FSFE has seen abandons the concept of Open Standards entirely. Free Software, previously a central concept, has been relegated to a single footnote.
Background information is available here. German IT news site heise.de also offers a background story in German.