This follow-up event of the first event in Berlin (20 - 22 Oct 2003) has been significant for several reasons. CERN, an Intergouvernemental Organization, under the guidance of its new director, Dr.Robert Aymar, signed the BERLIN declaration. This constitutes a major victory for Open Access, when considering that the speech of the previous CERN director, at the WSIS, in Geneva, in December 2003, did not include any reference to Open Access. This event organized by Prof. Jurgen Renn, from the Max Planck Institute for History of Science and also member of the WSIS Civil Society "Scientific Information" (WSIS-SI) working goup, has also been put under the framework of the implementation of the WSIS recommandations, and as such it constitutes a WSIS phase II preparatory event. At the request of Dr. Francis Muguet, chair of the WSIS-SI working goup, H.E Adama Samassekou, chairman of the WSIS PrepCom Phase I has kindly accepted to honour this meeting, while giving eloquent Opening and Closing Addresses stressing the fact that Open Access is a worldwide advance towards building a worldwide inclusive society of shared knowledge. This global awareness that has been reinforced when H.E Habid Mansour, Ambassador of Tunisia, the country that took the initiative of the WSIS, delivered in his closing address a vibrant call to scientists for the next phase of the World Summit. H.E Habid Mansour is also deeply thanked for coming to the meeting, despite a heavy schedule, since the Berlin 2 conference timing coincided with a WSIS Governments' Bureau meeting.

It has been agreed that next follow-up events will be held every six months. The next follow-up event will be organized in France, by the INIST/CNRS, and will be put also under the WSIS framework.

• Berlin 2 Open Access (Event site, Max Planck Society)
  
  
• Thu, 13 Mai 2004, Implementation Session Francis Muguet (ENSTA)
  Three possible new implementation schemes: encrypted preprints, mirror overlay journals and peer-to-peer exchange (to be available soon)
  
  
• Pictures of the Event
  • Opening Ceremony
    
    
  • Talks
    
    
  • Signing Ceremony
    
    
  • Champagne !
    
    
  • Working groups
    
    
  • Closing Ceremony