> As for Open Web Search, what everyone should really be asking themselves is: ok, so what's the scam that's going to be pulled here?
As I'm one of the people who is working within the Open Web Search project please allow me to feel strongly about your statement. I've been involved in campaigning for this project since around 2014. This project did not originate as a 4d-chess move of some political game. It exists because of the hard work of a group of people, some of which are researchers, some of which are working at smaller search engines and some of which are involved in civil rights organisations.
Currently still sitting in the kick-off meeting I can tell you that we are actively discussing how to get this project to produce useful results for a european open web index. Getting the EU to draft problematic legislation is neither in our power nor in our interest.