The European Commission is gathering community feedback until February 3 to inform its new 'Towards European Open Digital Ecosystems' strategy, aiming to strengthen EU technological sovereignty through open source adoption across AI, cloud, and cybersecurity sectors.
The European Commission has launched a critical consultation process to shape its upcoming open source strategy, Towards European Open Digital Ecosystems. This initiative seeks to position open source as a cornerstone of EU technological sovereignty without introducing new legislation, focusing instead on strategic frameworks and funding mechanisms.
Why This Matters Now
Recent data from the GitHub Innovation Graph reveals Europe's substantial open source footprint:
- 25 million EU-based developers on GitHub
- 155 million contributions to public repositories in past year
- Growing commercial potential for open source businesses
The strategy aims to address key challenges while amplifying these strengths through:
- Improved public procurement processes for open source solutions
- Better access to growth capital for open source startups
- Support for critical infrastructure projects (libraries, toolchains)
- Sector-specific adoption in automotive, manufacturing, and healthcare
Balancing Commercial and Community Needs
While encouraging commercialization, the EU recognizes that:
- Not all projects fit business models
- Many maintainers prioritize community over profit
- Foundational tools often lack funding despite widespread use
GitHub's policy team response emphasizes the need for dual support structures that serve both enterprise-scale open source and community-driven projects.
How Developers Can Contribute
The Commission seeks input on five key areas by February 3:
- Adoption Barriers (licensing, funding, skills gaps)
- Economic Value (cost savings, innovation acceleration)
- Policy Actions (funding models, standardization)
- Technology Priorities (AI, IoT, cloud infrastructure)
- Industry Impact (cybersecurity, interoperability)
Strategic Implications
This consultation could shape:
- €10B+ in Horizon Europe funding allocations
- Digital Single Market regulations
- Cross-border collaboration frameworks
- Open source education initiatives
Developers and organizations can submit feedback through the EU's participatory portal until February 3 (midnight CET). The GitHub Policy team remains available for community input on ongoing developments.
This represents a rare opportunity to influence EU digital policy at its formative stage - one that could determine whether Europe becomes a global open source leader or remains dependent on external technologies.
Comments
Please log in or register to join the discussion