Brussels, 30/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 26 June 2008, the European Commission launched a public consultation exercise online to assess the state of Member States' policies on the re-use of public sector information. The consultation will run until 31 July 2008. Public bodies produce, collect and share vast amounts of information, such as meteorological, traffic and financial data, digital maps or tourist information. This valuable public sector Information can be the basis of new added value services, but it is often difficult for businesses and individuals to use it, explains the Commission, which wants to remedy this with a review of the 2003 Public Sector Information Directive that promotes the re-use of public information across the EU. The public consultation exercise that has just been launched will help the Commission see whether the targets are being properly pursued and obstacles removed. The European Commission will publish its review before the end of the year. Public sector information is an extraordinary resource for the EU's digital content industry. According to a survey made in 2006, the overall market size for public sector information in the EU is estimated at €27 billion. The Commission explains that the measure is needed to set up a single information market and provide EU companies with a set of harmonised rules. The consultation can be found at: http: //ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/psi/index_en.htm. (I.L./transl. fl)