The Role of the EU in the Re-use of Member State Public Sector Information—the Commercialisation of Publicly Available Data and the Practical Legal Consequences

This article explores the current EU provisions governing the re-use of public sector
information (PSI). In the first part of the analysis, the article examines the meaning of re-use and PSI
in the context of the applicable legal framework, as well as the EU's competence to legislate in this
area. The second part discusses the 2003 PSI Re-use Directive, its failings, and the modifications to
be implemented by the 2013 amendments. In essence, the article finds that although the EU is
playing an increasingly important role in the re-use of Member State PSI, development is severely
restricted due to reluctance on behalf of the Member States to truly harmonise their approaches. The
article shows, through a variety of examples, that despite criticism of the improvements provided for
by the recent amendments, they nevertheless manifest an increasing EU interest and role in Member
State PSI re-use