115 lines
5.6 KiB
HTML
115 lines
5.6 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
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<html newsdate="2009-11-27">
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<head>
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<title>FSFE: EC caves in to proprietary lobbyists on interoperability</title>
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<body>
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<h1>FSFE: EC caves in to proprietary lobbyists on interoperability</h1>
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<h2>Free Software industry criticises remarks by Commission's Vice
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President Siim Kallas</h2>
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<p newsteaser="yes">The European Commission (EC) has given in to the demands of
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lobbyists for Microsoft and SAP when it revised a key document on
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interoperability between electronic government services. The Free Software
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Foundation Europe (FSFE) has analysed the evolution of a new version of the
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European Interoperability Framework (EIF), showing that Commission has based its
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work on the input of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), a lobby group for
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proprietary software vendors, and ignored the voices of a large part of the
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European software industry. At the same time, remarks by the EC's Vice President
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about Free Software point to a worrying lack of awareness within the
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Commission.</p>
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<p>A draft for a revision of the European Interoperability Framework
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(EIF) <a href="http://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/?p=285">leaked to the press earlier this month</a>. Whereas the earlier version of
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the document strongly supports the use of Free Software and Open
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Standards in the public sector, the new text only carries a
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meaningless description of an "openness continuum", which absurdly
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enough includes proprietary specifications.</p>
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<p>FSFE has tracked <a href="/activities/os/eifv2.html"><strong>how key parts of the revised European
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Interoperability Framework have evolved over time</strong></a>. A version of the document
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was the basis of a public consultation in the summer of 2008. FSFE's
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analysis shows in detail how from this basis, the views of the BSA
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lobby group have influenced the present draft of the text. At the same
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time, the European Commission has ignored comments by companies,
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groups and individuals in favour of Open Standards and Free Software.</p>
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<p>"The European Commission must not make itself the tool of particular
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interests. The current draft is unacceptable, and so is the total lack
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of transparency in the process that has led to this text," says
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Karsten Gerloff, FSFE's President.</p>
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<p>On this background, recent remarks by Siim Kallas, the European
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Commission's Vice President in charge of administration, show a
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worrying lack of awareness of <a href="/activities/os/os.html">Open Standards</a> and <a href="/about/basics/freesoftware.html">Free Software</a> in
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parts of the Commission. In <a href="http://www.se2009.eu/en/meetings_news/2009/11/19/press_conference_the_ministerial_declaration_on_egovernment">a high-level press conference</a> (Flash) on November 19 in Malmö, Sweden, Kallas said that he
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considered Free Software a problem for "business continuity". He
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likened Free Software to a Wikipedia article, saying that "in
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Wikipedia text, you see that there are brackets and footnotes, that
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information should be confirmed, or should be checked [...], and if
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you use open source, if you use the same logic in operational things,
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you must have certainty what will happen next."</p>
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<p>FSFE is deeply concerned about these remarks. "Mr Kallas is
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badmouthing a whole sector of the European IT economy", says
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Gerloff. "Either Mr Kallas is actively hostile to Free Software and
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Open Standards, or he is entirely ignorant about them. Both is simply
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not justifiable in a Vice President of the European Commission in
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charge of the EC's administration."</p>
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<p>Elmar Geese, Chair of Linux-Verband, a German association of Free
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Software businesses with 80 members, shows himself surprised at Mr
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Kallas' remarks. "We do not know who advised Mr Kallas to say these
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things. To me, this sounds like the propaganda of fear, uncertainty
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and doubt from 10 years ago. We invite Mr Kallas to inform himself
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about the Free Software industry. I am sure this will change his
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mind."</p>
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<p>Jan Wildeboer, Red Hat EMEA Evangelist, rejects Kallas'
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remarks. "Compared to many proprietary alternatives, Free Software
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shows that it not only saves money but also delivers high quality
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solutions. The use of Free Software in mission-critical environments
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all over the world is proof of its quality."</p>
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<p>Such statements from the EC give a boost to the critics of the new
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version of the EIF. FSFE argues that the original EIF has served well
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as a guideline to the European public sector. Even though it is only a
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recommendation, it has become an important reference in Europe and
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beyond. If it needs to be revised, the new document should improve
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interoperability through reliance on Open Standards, rather than
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promote proprietary software and specifications. The Commission should
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go back to the consultation document and work from there, making sure
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that this time comments from all sides are properly addressed.</p>
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<p>Red Hat's Wildeboer shares the criticism: "It is good to see that
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EIFv2 is under more scrutiny now. We need a strong focus on
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interoperability based on Open Standards. The leaked draft version
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shows how a lack of transparency can hurt that goal. Now is the time to ask
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some serious questions. I fully trust the Commission to reinstate the
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goals of EIFv1. Open Standards and Open Specifications are key to
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interoperability."</p>
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<p>FSFE's President Karsten Gerloff argues: "If the Member States of the European Union
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want to preserve the credibility of European institutions, they should
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reject the current draft of the EIF. Instead, they should help the
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Commission to build a better one that puts Open Standards front and
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centre."</p>
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</body>
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<tags>
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<tag>OpenStandards</tag>
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<tag>Policy</tag>
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<tag>EIF</tag>
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</tags>
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</html>
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