 Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry that I cannot be with you in person, but I'm delighted to address this important conference. I am a firm believer in open access. Sharing knowledge and research is crucial, because researchers from one single country or company can't provide the answers to complex challenges such as climate change, clean energy or food and water security. Open access is also a means of maximising the economic value and impact of publicly funded research. In these difficult times, this is something that policymakers around the world are obviously very concerned about. We can only justify spending public money if we can get the most out of it. So what are we doing at a European level to boost open access? In July, we launched a major new drive to complete our European research area. The aim is to open up the EU member states national research systems and to make it easier for researchers and knowledge to move freely from one country to another. The 27 EU heads of state and government have set a deadline for the completion of the European research area by 2014. In response to this, the Commission has published a new framework communication setting out the measures which are necessary to achieve this goal. And of course, open access is at its heart. So how do we intend to act on this? Well, first of all, it is reflected in our plans for our proposed new funding instrument for research and innovation Horizon 2020. We have already tested open access under the current seventh framework program for research and open air has provided excellent support for this pilot. For Horizon 2020, we have proposed that open access to peer reviewed scientific publications should be the default setting across the whole program. We still need to determine the precise details of how this will be implemented. But making research results available to other researchers and to the private sector in particular SMEs will certainly be a priority. There has been much discussion on whether we should follow the green or gold route to open access. At the European level, the European Commission is being very pragmatic. We support both approaches. That's how it should be since different national systems have different approaches and needs. And so do academics in all the different fields of research. The Commission believes that both systems are valid and that one does not exclude the other. So as regards Horizon 2020, researchers will be able to go for either green or gold. Open access empowers researchers, but with greater choice comes greater responsibility for researchers to ensure they choose the system and the repository that best meets their needs and that best reaches their audience. This is why a project such as open air is so important. While researchers funded by Horizon 2020 will be free to decide where to deposit their research. We will suggest that they should register the precise location in open air. This is crucial because if researchers can deposit their research anywhere, we need to ensure that the articles are easy to find. Otherwise, the whole point of open access is in jeopardy. I was also pleased to learn that your consortium recently extended and improved open air by creating open air plus, which links publications with their data sets, thus enriching the information space and establishing connections with other infrastructures and services. The commission will develop a flexible approach towards research data that takes into account different scientific areas and business related interests. This is a sensitive issue. Therefore, let me stress that project results which are related to privacy, trade secrets, national security, legitimate commercial interests, and to intellectual property rights will not be registered in open access mode. Our approach is set out in the commission communication published in July, entitled towards better access to scientific information. The commission also published at the same time, a recommendation to member states on improving policies and practices on open access to scientific publications and research data, as well as on the preservation and use of scientific information. Developing and implementing open access is a challenge that calls for solutions that are locally pertinent, yet globally compatible solutions that provide certainty, but which are flexible enough to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. So I thank the open air consortium for their contribution to the open access movement and for their awareness raising activities. I see open air as a strategically placed e infrastructure to support research communities, libraries and research administrators as the European Union heads towards Horizon 2020. Thanks to its far reaching community, open air can contribute a great deal to promoting open access and associated issues such as curating and managing data. Innovative solutions and clever strategies are contagious. That is why my staff are here to learn about and be inspired by your work. Thank you.