European Commission issues call for evidence on open source
The European Commission has https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/16213-European-Open-Digital-Ecosystems_en
a "call
for evidence" to help shape its European Open Digital Ecosystem
Strategy. The commission is looking to reduce its dependence on
software from non-EU countries:
The EU faces a significant problem of dependence on non-EU countries
in the digital sphere. This reduces users' choice, hampers EU
companies' competitiveness and can raise supply chain security issues
as it makes it difficult to control our digital infrastructure (both
physical and software components), potentially creating
vulnerabilities including in critical sectors. In the last few years,
it has been widely acknowledged that open source – which is a public
good to be freely used, modified, and redistributed – has the strong
potential to underpin a diverse portfolio of high-quality and secure
digital solutions that are valid alternatives to proprietary ones. By
doing so, it increases user agency, helps regain control and boost the
resilience of our digital infrastructure.
The feedback period runs until midnight (Brussels time)
February 3, 2026. The commission seeks input from all interested
stakeholders, "in particular the European open-source community
(including individual contributors, open-source companies and
foundations), public administrations, specialised business sectors,
the ICT industry, academia and research institutions".