Walter Steinmeier hosted a first ODF user conference this week (29-30 Oct).
"Modern information technology has turned the world into a village with amazing speed. It links people and builds bridges in a way which even quite recently we would have believed impossible.
An open, unhindered exchange of information in all areas of life is of fundamental importance for today's knowledge-based society. It is an important foundation for our shared objective: a peaceful, democratic, pluralistic society. The Open Document Format, as a completely open and ISO-standardized format, is an excellent vehicle for the free exchange of knowledge and information in the globalized age.
Rapid, secure, reliable communication plays a crucial role in the work of the Foreign Service. It helps to ensure that we can carry out our task of nurturing and promoting political, cultural and economic relations with our international partners in a pro-active and contemporary manner. I am therefore very happy to welcome the participants in the 1st International Open Document Format User Conference here to the Federal Foreign Office.
Media reports
http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/98208/from/rss09
Comment
- The German hi-level support for ISO 26300 is an expression of the German discomfort with the OOXML standardization process and demonstrates the clear format preferences of that EU member state.
- The Foreign Office takes the lead role in the discussion of ISO 26300 adoption. However, other ministeriums do also see ISO 26300 adoption as crucial and reach out to national SMEs.
