> What I most fear is that this mandate policy will cost OA another one or > perhaps two decades.
What I most fear is that continuing to place hope on volunteerism rather than mandates "will cost OA another one or perhaps two decades." Let us not forget that the past two decades have been decades of volunteerism. Mandates, though mooted, have hardly been tried yet. But if FRPAA passes, and if the EU proceeds with some of its planned recommendations to its member states concerning university OA mandates, and if EOS's policy-guidance thereon is successful -- ensuring that the right, convergent, collaborative mandates are adopted by both funders and universities (ID/OA, Liege Model, Deposit Institutionally, Harvest Centrally), instead of wishy-washy or competitive ones, I think the mandate decade is only just beginning (and that the right mandates have the power to generate 100% Green, Gratis OA in short order -- just as volunteerism could have done, if only it had been done...) Others are free to make their own bets, and then work to make them succeed. My own efforts are now fully dedicated to EOS, FRPAA and the EU mandates, as re-affirmed last week in Budapest at the 10th anniversary meeting of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI-II). (There was no mention of mandates whatsoever in BOAI-I.) Stevan Harnad Reconstructed Archivangelist
