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12.03.2007

Council of Ministers calls on members to use Open Standards and also use Open Source

The Council of Ministers, the Council of Europe's highest decision-making body, calls on its' members to ensure a diversity of software models by mixing Open Source, free and proprietary software.

In a statement the council last week adopted recommendations on measures to increase the public service value of the Internet. The councils' members "should develop strategies which promote sustainable economic growth via competitive market structures in order to stimulate investment into critical Internet resources and ICTs." Ensuring a diversity of software including Open Source should be part of these strategies.

The council also recommends that members ensure their policies on telecommunications, broadcasting and the Internet make these IT systems interoperable by using open standards.