The European Commission on Thursday published guidelines to encourage member states to benefit from the reuse of public sector data.
An official statement said these guidelines explained, for example, how to give access to data pertaining to the weather, traffic, property assets and maps.
The guidelines cover issues such as licenses requisites or costs charged by the public sector bodies for the reuse of documents. It asks public sector bodies not to demand licenses when a simple notice is sufficient.
European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes said: "This guidance will help all of us benefit from the wealth of information public bodies hold. Opening and reusing this data will lead to many new businesses and convenient services."
An independent report, carried out by the consultants McKinsey in 2013, claimed that open data reuse could boost the global economy hugely. A 2013 Spanish study found that commercial reusers in Spain could employ around 10,000 people and reach a business volume of 900 million euros (1.2 billion U.S. dollars), according to the statement.