: "I put a premium on such open systems because they deliver more for their users and for the wider economy. For example when the Human Genome Project results were made accessible, it leveraged a €0 billion research investment into around €000 billion in economic activity. I want more of those benefits to land in Europe. There is a direct connection between this package and our economic future. This package is also a major part of the wider movement to open up what is produced with public money - whether by a government or the organisations they fund. Doing this is a matter of principle. You paid for this research - you should have access to the results. But more than that, open access to scientific information will lead to better and faster research results. Innovation is an over-used word. We talk a lot about it, but don't do enough of it. One reason for that is that we put obstacles in the way of innovation - like locking up information that is critical for innovators, for entrepreneurs. Open access policies get rid of those obstacles. They make it easier for great thinkers, for great business people, to do what they do best. So this package is big news for any start-up or small company that can't afford scientific journals.This could help those businesses get their ideas to market 0 years earlier...." 