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In its opinion, the Committee of the Regions welcomes the Commission’s initiative to review the application of the Re-use of Public Sector Information (PSI) Directive and promote the action plan for the Internet of Things (IoT), as they have the potential to become valuable assets for citizens, businesses and administrations and could help to create jobs and improve the quality of public services.

The CoR also emphasises the significance of and the need for common rules and practices governing the re-use and exploitation of public sector information to ensure that the same basic conditions are applied to all players in the European information market, conditions for re-using such information are more transparent, and distortions of the internal market are eliminated.

The final text also advocates encouraging the development of laboratories in Europe with combined funding from universities and private companies, in order to amplify the impact of IT research activities in Europe. It proposes that special attention be given to the Future of the Internet, which might evolve into a combination of the Internet of Things and high-quality content and services using Web 2.0 technology as an enabling platform.

Its new pattern will redefine the place and role of pervasive networks in people's lives and economic growth which may lead to major social changes.

Public Sector Information (PSI) is the single largest source of information in Europe, including data such as maps and satellite images, legislation and case-law, statistics and company, population and patent registers.

The value of the EU PSI market is estimated at 27 billion euro, which is four times the EU market for mobile roaming services. This shows the central role of public sector content in the digital age as a driver of economic activity. A further increase in the use of this resource will therefore directly contribute to the EU’s goals of increasing competitiveness and creating more jobs.