MEPs sign off public-data deal

The European Parliament has formally backed proposed EU rules on sharing publicly funded data in an effort to boost innovation.

Under the new rules, which were agreed among representatives of the EU institutions in January, national governments will be asked to develop policies for open access to data from publicly funded research.

The rules should also make it easier to use public data that is already openly available. In particular, high-value datasets such as geospatial data should be made available at no cost, the Parliament agreed.