The objective of a full transition to Open Access is shared amongst most European countries and their library communities. But strategies to achieve this transition differ between countries and library consortia. Even as transformative agreements become the new normal, with widespread and increasing adoption of these types of contracts, there are interesting differences in overall commitment to the model. 

Figures from ESAC show that Sweden tops the charts with around 70% of the yearly research output published open access through transformative agreements. Norway and Finland reach around 60%, whereas neighbouring Denmark and Germany are at roughly 30%. What is behind different levels of adoption of the transformative agreement model, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these respective choices? Is it possible that some countries have gone too far in signing agreements that will be overly costly, or is the cautious approach only slowing down an overall transition towards Open Access?

This panel will bring together perspectives on the ways that the OA transition issue has been approached in different countries. The differences between library consortia’s conditions and their strategies will be highlighted. With the aim of learning from each other, the panel will address the viability of the transformative model in general, as well as the advantages of diverse approaches. What will be the next step towards an Open Access future?