Dams hinder only momentarily the course of rivers | Bernard Rentier | Ouvertures immédiates / Immediate openings

"There are essentially two points of view regarding open access to scientific publications, except for some researchers who think that the FWB’s Open Access Decree will deprive them of their academic freedom, which is not at all the case.

1) The first, supported by a large majority of the research community, is in favor of the decree as shown by >1,600 signatures in a recent open letter of support. The main role of the decree is to reassure the researchers whose Institution wishes or requires that the publications produced on its premises be freely accessible as quickly as possible, but who fear the intimidation exercised on them by their publishers. It offers them much needed legal certainty.

2) the second is carried by some publishers (in our case, the Association of Belgian Publishers, ADEB) who see in this process supported by the public authorities a threat to their business model and who practice intense lobbying against the decree...."