97 rivejä
2.9 KiB
HTML
97 rivejä
2.9 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
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<html newsdate="2015-03-25">
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<version>1</version>
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<head>
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<title>Joint statement : Maximising inclusiveness and engagement
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through the use of Open Standards in the European Commission</title>
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</head>
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<body>
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<h1>Joint statement : Maximising inclusiveness and
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engagement through the use of Open Standards in the European Commission</h1>
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<p>Today is Document Freedom Day, the international
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day to celebrate and raise awareness of Open Standards. On this
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occasion, we would like to reflect on the importance for public
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institutions in general, and for the European Commission in
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particular, considering its leadership role, of using Open Standards
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in all their digital communication and services.
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</p>
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<p>
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<a href="/freesoftware/standards/def.html">Open
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Standards</a> are formats and protocols which everybody can use, free
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of charge and restriction, for which no specific software from a
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particular vendor is required. They are essential for interoperability
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and freedom of choice based on the merits of different software
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applications. For a public institution such as the European
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Commission, this is especially important because every EU citizen and
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company should have the right to communicate and interact with its
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administration using Open Standards exclusively, and not be forced to
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install and use software from any specific vendor. That is why we take
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this opportunity of Document Freedom Day, to voice our concerns on the
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improper use of standards in the context of applying for EU
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programmes.
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</p>
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<p>
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Nowadays, when applying for most EU programmes, applicants are
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typically required to fill in PDF forms that use elements only implemented
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in proprietary software from a particular vendor (Adobe), software that is
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currently not available on all platforms. This is a problem for many
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applicants who end up bereft of choice or excluded from the process
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altogether. It does not have to be this way, especially when a number of efficient
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alternatives exist that are entirely based on Open Standards. Generally,
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we would advise against the use of PDF for online forms, and would
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instead recommend solutions based Open Web Standards like HTML5 and
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XForms. With this joint statement, we call on the European Commission to
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address this situation and ensure that all interactions with the public can
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be performed entirely using Open Standards, thereby ensuring maximum
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inclusiveness and freedom of choice for all European citizens.
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</p>
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<p>
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Signatories :
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</p>
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<p>
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Jean-Christophe Becquet,
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President,
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April
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</p>
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<p>
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Karsten Gerloff,
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President,
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Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE)
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</p>
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<p>
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Andreas Krisch,
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President,
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European Digital Rights (EDRi)
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</p>
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<p>
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Graham Taylor,
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CEO,
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OpenForum Europe (OFE)
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</p>
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<p>
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Peter Ganten,
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Chairman of the board,
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Open Source Business Alliance (OSBA)
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</p>
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</body>
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<tags>
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<tag key="front-page"/>
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<tag key="dfd"/>
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<tag key="openstandards"/>
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<tag key="policy"/>
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</tags>
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</html>
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