Open access in the European Research Area (ERA) has progressed but, to fully realise its potential, Europe needs more coherent action to tackle fragmentation, misaligned incentives, and rising costs.
A new European Commission independent expert report shows that, despite major advances over the past decade, implementation of open access remains uneven and fragmented while persistent barriers still prevent a coherent approach across the European Research Area.The analysis, covering all EU Member States and eight non-EU countries, finds that:
- progress varies significantly across countries
- fragmentation creates complexity for researchers, institutions, and funders
- multi-instrument policy frameworks tend to deliver stronger results
- better open access monitoring, cost tracking, Findable, Accessible, Identifiable, Reproducible (FAIR) principles implementation, stronger alignment with research assessment, and more coordinated action are needed.
The report concludes that decisive action at both national and EU levels is needed to overcome persistent barriers. However, the report also argues that there is no single approach, rather, durable progress requires a combination of binding requirements and incentives, support structures, interoperable infrastructure, and reform of the environment in which researchers are evaluated. Only by addressing fragmentation, misaligned incentives, and rising costs while improving collaboration and monitoring can the European Research Area fully realise the potential of open access.
More information: Open access policies in EU Member States and beyond
Source: Europea Commission | Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/news/all-research-and-innovation-news/open-access-european-research-area-progress-remains-uneven-new-report-calls-more-concerted-action-2026-09-15_en)