Plans in European Commission to require publication of subsidized research

Viviane Reding, the European Commissioner for information society and media, has released a document (a “communication”) in which the European Commission reveals its plans to require scientists to publish the results of subsidized research.

For those who believe in Vannevar Bush‘ opinion that collective human knowledge should be available to anyone, this is a very important step, since the internet offers the possibility to give people access to this information wherever they may be (as long as they have an internet connection). And as a researcher in training I think it is very helpful and useful to be able to read a thesis or a research publication in the area I am researching. This way you do not invent the wheel again, but you build on existing research.
A petition to support these plans can be signed here: http://www.ec-petition.