Six major European organizations have issued a joint statement calling on EU policymakers and practitioners to strengthen Open Science policy and practice across Europe. The statement was coordinated by SPARC Europe and signed by ALLEA, EIFL, IFLA, LIBER, OPERAS, and SPARC Europe. Together, these groups represent thousands of universities, libraries, scholarly infrastructures, and academies of sciences and humanities.
The signatories noted that while progress has been made through initiatives such as the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science (2021), European Council Conclusions in 2022 and 2023, and national Open Science policies, significant challenges remain. They emphasized the need for coordinated action in areas including:
• Equitable access to Open Access and other research outputs
• Legal clarity and harmonization of rights
• Research data, FAIR principles, and capacity building
• Open Science for innovation, security, and AI
• Inclusiveness, multilingualism, and societal engagement
• Federated infrastructures that are open and sovereign
• Incentives and research assessment reform
The organizations identified the ERA Act as a key opportunity to accelerate progress through legislative measures. They also stressed that achieving Open Science will require mobilizing a diverse ecosystem of actors, supported by policy alignment, incentives, infrastructure, and community‑led initiatives.
SPARC Europe stated that the joint declaration reflects its long‑standing commitment to making openness the default in research. The organization emphasized that Open Science should be viewed not as an administrative requirement but as a foundational element of a resilient and future‑oriented European research ecosystem.
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