# Propositions for the Commission's 2024-2027 Open Source Strategy First draft, 2024/02/12 Second draft, 2024/02/13 Author: Stefane Fermigier ## Introduction Advancing the European Commission's commitment to open source software and strategies forms a vital component of Europe's broader digital agenda. With two Open Source Strategy documents already published for the periods 2014-2017 and 2020-2023, the European Commission has laid foundational steps towards embracing open source as a lever for innovation, transparency, and digital autonomy. It it now time to pivot towards drafting a new strategy for 2024-2027, and so it's crucial to reflect on the achievements and lessons drawn from previous iterations. The evolving digital landscape, marked by rapid technological advancements and shifting geopolitical dynamics, obviously calls for a reassessment of goals and a recalibration of strategies. The European Commission stands at a crossroads where the continuation of its commitment to open source principles can significantly influence Europe's digital sovereignty, innovation capacity, and affirmation of its societal values. European policymakers must also take into account the faultlines that appeared during the elaboration of the CRA, and better engage with the European open source ecosystem during the elaboration of this new strategy. This proposal delineates a forward-looking blueprint for the European Commission's 2024-2027 Open Source Strategy. It aims to chart an ambitious course for the next phase, building upon the successes of previous strategies while expanding their scope and addressing the identified gaps and new challenges. By embracing a comprehensive approach, this strategy will fortify Europe's position as a global digital leader, committed to fostering an open, innovative, and ethically grounded technological future. ## Executive summary: Goals for 2024-2027 The key objectives of the new strategy should be to enable the Commission to: 1. strengthen European digital sovereignty 2. enhance open innovation ecosystems 3. foster ethical and sustainable digital technologies 4. scale open data and interoperability 5. develop digital skills and literacy 6. lead global collaboration on open standards 7. participate in fostering open source security 8. promote public sector innovation through open source Central to this strategy is the goal of strengthening **European digital sovereignty**, ensuring that Europe can assert more control and independence over its digital future, reducing reliance on non-European technologies. This is complemented by a commitment to enhance **open innovation ecosystems**, where collaboration across sectors fosters a thriving environment for technological advancement and creativity. Integral to the strategy is the focus on fostering **ethical and sustainable digital technologies**. The Commission must seeks to ensure that technological development aligns with **core European values** and contributes positively to societal and environmental well-being. This is closely linked with efforts to scale **open data and interoperability**, making it easier for data and services to work seamlessly across borders and sectors, thus driving innovation and efficiency. Developing **digital skills and literacy** across the European population is a pivotal element of the strategy, underscoring a commitment to empower citizens for the digital age with a unique **emphasis on the principles and values of open source software**. This focus is not just about equipping Europeans with the necessary technical skills but also about instilling an understanding and appreciation for the collaborative, transparent, and inclusive nature of open source development. Moreover, the strategy envisions Europe leading global collaboration on **open standards**, advocating for frameworks that facilitate international cooperation and technological interoperability, while also ensuring these standards promote fairness and inclusivity. A significant part of the strategy is dedicated to fostering **open source security**. By participating in initiatives that enhance the security of open source projects, the Commission aims to protect the digital ecosystem and foster trust in open source solutions. Finally, promoting **public sector innovation** through open source encapsulates the strategy's objective to leverage open source software to modernize public services, making them more efficient, transparent, and accessible to all Europeans. ## Action plan The implementation of the strategy should be guided by the principles of open source. The goals of the strategy should be achieved by the following concrete actions: ### Strengthening European Digital Sovereignty - **Promote European Standards and Technologies**: Establish partnerships with European tech companies, research institutions, and standardization bodies to develop and promote European digital standards and technologies. This collaboration aims to develop and champion European digital standards and technologies, moving away from undue criticism of European providers and the idolization of non-European hyperscalers. The [Small Business Act](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/a-small-business-act-for-european-smes.html) offers a robust framework for supporting this shift, recognizing the vital contributions of European SMEs to the open-source ecosystem. - **Regulatory Frameworks to Support European Tech**: Implement regulations that support the growth of European technology companies, including data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity standards that align with European values and leverage Europe's open-source expertise. - [Un Gaulois contre les GAFAM : le député Philippe Latombe veut faire enterrer l’accord UE-États-Unis sur les données personnelles](https://www.clubic.com/pro/legislation-loi-internet/donnees-personnelles/actualite-484258-un-gaulois-contre-les-gafam-le-depute-philippe-latombe-veut-faire-enterrer-l-accord-ue-etats-unis-sur-les-donnees-personnelles.html) - [European Sovereignty Criteria for software and digital systems](https://pad.cloud.abilian.com/s/7Fu406W72#) - **Develop and Invest in European Digital Infrastructure**: Allocate funding for the development of European cloud services, data centers, and high-performance computing capabilities, while remaining vigilant to the fact that these funds must encourage the adoption of European technologies (hardware and software) and not be spent mindlessly on foreign tech or cloud services. - [Buy European Act: An effective response to the US Inflation Reduction Act?](https://www.euractiv.com/section/competition/news/buy-european-act-an-effective-response-to-the-us-inflation-reduction-act/) - [Le ‘Buy European Act’ devra attendre](https://www.lenouveleconomiste.fr/le-buy-european-act-devra-attendre-96429/) - La culture libre-échangiste européenne inopérante face au matraquage protectionniste américain - **Enforce a Preference for Open Source Software** in all levels of public procurement. This policy shift would not only foster innovation and flexibility within public sector IT systems but also strengthen security, transparency, and cost-efficiency. By prioritizing open source solutions, Europe can reduce dependencies on proprietary systems, stimulate the local tech economy, and reinforce its digital sovereignty through a vibrant, self-reliant open source ecosystem. This approach aligns with the broader goals of promoting European technological standards and independence, ensuring that Europe's digital future is built on open, secure, and sustainable foundations. ### Enhancing Open Innovation Ecosystems - **Funding and Support for Open Source Projects**: Provide grants and financial support for innovative open source projects (regardless of whether they are run by a profit-making or non-profit organisation), especially those with potential for high impact. - **Launch Open Innovation Hubs**: Create spaces where businesses, startups, and academia can collaborate on open source projects. Look for example at the situation in South Korean, as reported in the 2021 Economic Study published by the Commission. - **Open Source Collaboration Platforms**: Develop online platforms to facilitate collaboration, knowledge sharing, and community building around open source projects. ### Fostering Ethical and Sustainable Digital Technologies - **Integrate Ethics into Open Source Projects**: Include [ethical guidelines](https://abilian.com/fr/a-propos/charte-ethique/) and sustainability principles in the development and deployment of open source projects. We have worked a bit with CNLL a few years ago, but we need to scale this initiative, and make it unavoidable, IMHO. - **Promote Green Computing Practices**: Encourage the use of energy-efficient hardware and software, and support research in reducing the carbon footprint of digital technologies. We must convince policymakers that open source is an asset in the fight against GHG. We have done [something](https://code.gouv.fr/docs/2023_01_RapportIndiceDurabilite.pdf) in France (within the framework of the Mission Logiciel Libre), but it was not an evidence for everyone. - **Ethics and Sustainability Audits**: Establish a framework for regular audits of open source projects to ensure they adhere to ethical and sustainability standards. ### Scaling Open Data and Interoperability - **Expand Open Data Initiatives**: Increase the availability of open data sets across various sectors, ensuring they are easily accessible and usable. - **Develop Interoperability Standards**: Create and promote standards that ensure data and applications are compatible across different systems and sectors. - **Facilitate Cross-Border Data Sharing**: Work with EU Member States to remove barriers to data sharing across borders, enhancing collaboration and innovation. - **International Open Standards Initiatives**: Engage in diplomacy and collaboration with international partners to promote the adoption of open standards globally. The "open standards" in question should be "truly open" and not encumbered with patents. - **Support Standardisation Work**: Provide financial and logistical support to individuals and organizations that participate in the development of open standards. ### Developing Digital Skills and Literacy - **Integrate Open Source in Education**: Incorporate open source technologies and principles into educational curriculums at all levels. We've been advocating this [since 1998](https://aful.org/gdt/educ/) in France. - **Launch Training Programs for Digital Skills**: Develop training programs focused on open source software development, data science, and other digital skills. - [Detailed Recommendations for Skills Development in Open Source Software](https://pad.cloud.abilian.com/s/xyBanubmW#) - **Promote Inclusion and Diversity**: Create initiatives aimed at reducing the digital divide and promoting diversity within the technology sector. We believe open source is by essence the most inclusive technological approach, it remains to convince the decision makers. Large US corporation can easily subvert these kinds of programs for their own benefits. - https://www.strategies.fr/actualites/culture-tech/LQ2895944C/meta-lance-une-formation-gratuite-lia-avec-simplon.html ### Creating a Robust Framework for Open Source Security - **Establish Open Source Security Audits**: Create a program for regular security audits of critical open source projects. In other words, help and finance the security work on open source components and software conducted by European individuals and organisations. - **Develop Security Guidelines for Open Source**: Publish best practices and guidelines for securing open source software. I know that there is an CFP currently open at Horizon Europe, it remains to see when the results will be delivered and if they will be really actionable. - **Rapid Response Mechanism for Vulnerabilities**: Set up a coordinated response team to address security vulnerabilities in open source projects promptly. This should be done according to actual best practices, informed by practitioners, and not by a bureaucratic mandate. ### Promoting Public Sector Innovation through Open Source - **Modernize Public Services with Open Source**: Identify opportunities to use open source solutions to improve efficiency and accessibility of public services. - **Open Source Government Innovation Fund**: Allocate funds specifically for the development of open source projects that can benefit the public sector (there are examples of this in France, for example) - **Share Government-developed Open Source Software**: Make software developed for government use available to the public under open source licenses, encouraging reuse and collaboration (see the "[Digital Republic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loi_pour_une_R%C3%A9publique_num%C3%A9rique#Free_Software_and_Open_Formats)" law in France). - **Assess the Use of Proprietary and/or Vendor-Locked Solutions**: Identify dependencies that may hinder flexibility, innovation, and cost-effectiveness and recommend alternatives, better aligned with broader objectives of digital sovereignty and strategic autonomy. ## Next steps These items above are just a set of ideas, and need to be refined further, and operationalised, in the context of existing administrative constructs or new organisations that need to be created. Given the existence of two Open Source Strategy documents by the European Commission for the periods 2014-2017 and 2020-2023, it's also important to conduct both a retrospective evaluation of past strategies and the formulation of a forward-looking plan. ### Evaluate Previous Strategies - **Conduct a Comprehensive Review**: Assess the outcomes of the 2014-2017 and 2020-2023 strategies to determine their effectiveness in meeting set objectives. - **Stakeholder Feedback**: Gather feedback from a wide range of stakeholders, including government bodies, industry participants, academia, and the open source community. Understanding their perspectives will provide insights into the impact of previous strategies and areas needing more attention. - **Identify Lessons Learned**: Analyze what worked well and what didn't, focusing on policy implementation, project outcomes, and overall impact on Europe's digital autonomy and open source ecosystem. ### Define New Objectives Based on Current and Future Challenges - **Align with European Digital Strategy**: Ensure that the new open source strategy aligns with broader European digital policy objectives, including digital sovereignty, data strategy, and the green transition. - **Address Gaps**: Based on the evaluation, identify any gaps or unmet needs in the previous strategies and set objectives that address these areas. ### Develop the 2024-2027 Open Source Strategy - **Set Clear, Ambitious Goals**: Based on the evaluation and new objectives, define clear and ambitious goals for the next strategy period. - **Engage with Stakeholders**: Develop the strategy in an inclusive manner, engaging with stakeholders throughout the process to ensure broad support and alignment with the needs of all sectors. - **Focus on Implementation and Monitoring**: Outline specific actions, responsible parties, timelines, and resources needed. Establish a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to track progress and make adjustments as necessary. ### Launch and Promote the Strategy - **Communicate Effectively**: Ensure clear and effective communication of the strategy's objectives, actions, and benefits to all stakeholders. This includes using various channels to reach a wide audience, including inside the Commission and the other European institutions and the Member states. - **Foster Collaboration**: Encourage collaboration across sectors and borders to leverage the collective expertise and resources of the European open source community. Involve the SMEs and/or their representatives. - **Support and Resources**: Provide the necessary support, resources, and incentives to facilitate the implementation of the strategy, including funding, training, and awareness campaigns. ### Review and Adjust - **Continuous Monitoring**: Implement a continuous monitoring mechanism to assess the progress of the strategy's implementation. - **Be Agile and Flexible**: Be prepared to make adjustments to the strategy in response to technological advancements, changes in the digital landscape, and feedback from stakeholders. ## References - https://www.apell.info/2023/09/08/apell-conference-report-helsinki-2023/ (2023) - https://cnll.fr/news/apell-conference-the-future-of-open-source-business-in-europe/ (2022) - https://cnll.fr/media/etude-cnll-2021.pdf (2021) - https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/15/rapports/souvnum/l15b4299-t1_rapport-information#_Toc256000121 (2021) - https://cnll.fr/media/CNLL-post-covid_mdGUMmx.pdf (2020) - https://commission.europa.eu/about-european-commission/departments-and-executive-agencies/digital-services/open-source-software-strategy_en (2020) - https://cnll.fr/media/ReponseCNLLconsultation__PacteProductifNumerique2019_Final.pdf (2019) - ...