The Competitiveness Council - a gathering of ministers of science, innovation, trade, and industry from the EU member states - agreed on an ambitious new open-access (OA) target. All scientific papers should be freely available by 2020. The OA goal is part of a broader set of recommendations in support of open science, a concept that also includes improved storage of and access to research data. The Dutch government, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, had lobbied hard for Europe-wide support for open science, as had Carlos Moedas, the European commissioner for research and innovation.
The council provides few details on how countries can make a full transition to OA in less than 4 years. And given OA's slow march over the past 15 years, some see the target as overly optimistic—if not unrealistic. A spokesperson for the Competitiveness Council admits the 2020 target "may not be an easy task," but stresses the importance of the council's new resolve. "This is not a law, but it's a political orientation for the 28 governments. The important thing is that there is a consensus."
More on council's decission on open-access to all scientific papers by 2020: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/05/dramatic-statement-european-leaders-call-immediate-open-access-all-scientific-papers