The European Commission has recently published a strategic roadmap titled "The Open Source Way to EU Digital Sovereignty & Competitiveness," prepared by the European Alliance for Industrial Data, Edge and Cloud (of which this author is a member). This 68-page document proposes and details an action plan aimed at positioning Open Source software as a central pillar of Europe's strategy to strengthen its technological autonomy from non-EU players.
The report begins with an assessment of Europe's dependency in the domains of cloud, edge, and IoT, and puts forward 70 concrete actions to address it. Among the most significant measures are the implementation of a public procurement policy that systematically favors European Open Source solutions, the creation of a dedicated funding mechanism for critical projects, and the enforcement of genuinely open standards to counter vendor lock-in.
Of course, these are just a few of the 70 proposals. For more details, read on, or read the full report.
The Context
This roadmap aims to transform the ambition of digital sovereignty into a program of technical, economic, and political actions. It is addressed to policymakers, but its content has direct implications for developers, companies, and contributors to the Free and Open Source Software ecosystem in Europe. Of course (and unfortunately), nothing is set in stone at this stage, but at least the proposals are on the table and in the hands of DG CONNECT (the European Commission's Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology).
The European Alliance for Industrial Data, Edge and Cloud, which initiated this document, is an initiative facilitated by the European Commission. It brings together exclusively European companies, Member State representatives, and experts in the field. Its official role is to guide investments and advise European institutions on building a competitive and autonomous digital ecosystem.
The document was produced by a dedicated task force composed of Stéfane Fermigier (Abilian), Alberto P. Martí (OpenNebula Systems), Jean-Baptiste Piacentino (Clever Cloud), Charles-Henri Schulz (Vates), and Arthur van der Wees (Arthur Strategies & Systems), and was subsequently validated in a plenary session by the entire Alliance.
The Diagnosis
The report identifies (or recalls) the main obstacles to developing a sovereign European digital ecosystem based on Open Source software:
- Interoperability and Standards: The influence of dominant players who promote deceptively "open" standards (open washing) to maintain their market position and complicate the integration of alternative solutions. On this topic, one can read the fascinating paper by Nora von Ingersleben-Seip, "How the European Union Fell Out of Love with Open-Source Software" (TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology, 2025).
- Resources and Funding: The dependence of many European FOSS projects on sporadic funding or volunteer efforts, which limits their ability to ensure long-term maintenance, security, and evolution.
- Market Adoption: The persistence of misconceptions about the complexity and lack of support for Open Source solutions, reinforced by the ubiquitous marketing of proprietary software vendors and closed cloud services.
- Skills and Talent: A deficit of qualified professionals in FOSS technologies, which increases dependency on non-EU expertise.
- Governance: The fact that many Open Source projects, even with significant European contributions, are governed by foundations or entities based outside the EU, potentially aligning their decisions with non-European strategic interests and subjecting them to extraterritorial laws (notably from the US).
Proposals Articulated in 5 Pillars
To address these challenges, we proposed in the roadmap a series of measures, articulated around 5 "pillars," each with a specific objective:
- Technological Development: Building a sovereign and interoperable technical foundation.
- Skills Development: Creating the talent pool necessary to operate this ecosystem.
- Public Procurement: Using the power of public spending as a strategic adoption lever.
- Growth and Investment: Establishing an environment conducive to project funding and growth.
- Governance and Sustainability: Ensuring the longevity, security, and European control of key initiatives.
Here is a selection of the most structural proposals, grouped by pillar:
Pillar 1: Technological Development
- Enforce genuinely open interoperability standards—technical standards (APIs, transfer protocols) that are free to use and implementable without restriction to guarantee effective interoperability.
- Establish and fund a European Open Source Sovereignty Fund (EOSSF), a dedicated fund to sustainably support FOSS projects deemed critical for Europe's infrastructure and autonomy. OpenForum Europe, for instance, proposes the creation of an EU Sovereign Tech Fund (EU-STF).
- Develop reference implementations for key sectors (healthcare, public administration, etc.) based exclusively on European FOSS building blocks.
Pillar 2: Skills Development
- Establish technical training and certification programs recognized at the European level (e.g., in orchestration, security, GDPR compliance) focused on European FOSS solutions.
- Integrate Open Source concepts and digital sovereignty into engineering and computer science curricula.
Pillar 3: Public Procurement
- Adopt a "Public Money, Public Code, Open Source First, European Preference" policy, mandating priority for FOSS solutions in public procurement, with an added preference clause for projects of European origin.
- Establish clear criteria to define a "European Open Source" project (based on origin of development, governance location, community) to qualify solutions and avoid deceptive marketing.
- Create a public repository of recommended FOSS solutions modeled on France's SILL, to guide public purchasers. Note: one already exists at the EU level, but its visibility remains limited.
Pillar 4: Growth and Investment
- Develop a European Open Source Investment Platform (EOSIP), a portal centralizing all available aid (grants, loans, venture capital) for European FOSS projects.
- Launch a "European Open Source" brand to promote the visibility and credibility of projects that meet high standards of quality and security.
Pillar 5: Governance and Sustainability
- Provide resources for regulatory compliance, notably to help FOSS projects (especially SMEs and small organizations) comply with regulations like the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) without stifling their development.
- Create a European Open Source Advisory Board, composed of industry and community experts, to oversee funding and support strategy.
Conclusion and Call to Action
Faced with 70 proposals, the first reaction might be skepticism or a sense of helplessness. It would be a mistake to see this report as a monolithic block to be taken or left. Instead, it should be viewed as a toolbox: some actions are political and require strong support; others are technical and can be implemented in a distributed manner. Some are structural marathons; others are sprints with a quick impact. Some are costly, while others are simply a matter of reallocating resources or shifting perspectives.
The question, therefore, is not whether everything will be implemented, but rather: where do we start, and who does what?
This report will not survive armchair cynicism. Saying "it will never work" is the easiest self-fulfilling prophecy. The only constructive approach is to ask: what are the conditions for success for the proposals we deem most critical, and how can we, at our own scale, contribute to them?
The question then becomes: what can we do, concretely?
- Get informed and master the topic: Read the report (at least the executive summary and the proposals that directly concern you) to be able to discuss it accurately.
- Disseminate and engage: Make this roadmap known. Contact your elected officials (national and European representatives) and decision-makers (in public administration, local government, or companies) and ask them to take a position. An action plan, even a draft, is only valuable if it is known by those who can implement it.
- Participate and provide technical expertise: Follow public consultations from the European Commission or register as an expert where relevant. Responding is an opportunity to inject on-the-ground technical expertise into the regulatory process.
- Localize and adapt: Translate the principles of the roadmap into local actions. Within your company, administration, or community, it is possible to adapt the recommendations: assess your own technological dependencies, set up an internal training program, or propose a strategic plan and procurement policy that favors openness and interoperability. The goal is to make the approach operational in your own context.
- Get involved and build: Support the organizations that champion these issues at the European level (APELL, FSFE, OSI, OpenForum Europe, etc.). And above all, contribute directly to and support the European FOSS projects that are at the heart of this strategy.
Annex: The List of 70 Proposals
Here is the complete list of proposals from the roadmap, organized by pillar.
Pillar 1: Technological Development
- Define technical specifications as open standards for European Open Source cloud, edge, and IoT environments.
- Fund interoperability pilot projects that prioritize the use of European Open Source technologies.
- Mandate that all EU-funded digital infrastructure projects adhere to these interoperability standards.
- Promote and enforce the implementation of open standards across the EU.
- Establish a dedicated "European Open Source Sovereignty Fund" (EOSSF) for essential projects.
- Offer targeted grants for security, maintenance, and sovereignty enhancement of Open Source projects.
- Foster deep collaboration with European academic institutions and Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs).
- Develop a practical guide for public procurement officers to evaluate European Open Source solutions.
- Create sector-specific reference architectures based on European Open Source technologies.
- Launch large-scale demonstration projects to showcase the practical benefits of European Open Source solutions.
- Produce and distribute comprehensive "playbooks" for deploying European Open Source solutions.
- Implement policies to actively encourage the adoption of these reference implementations in public procurement.
Pillar 2: Skills Development
- Organize industry-focused training workshops with a European emphasis on Open Source tools and platforms.
- Offer targeted training subsidies to SMEs and public sector organizations for upskilling in European Open Source.
- Launch certification programs for proficiency in European Open Source technologies and standards.
- Establish EU-funded reskilling programs to help professionals transition into European Open Source roles.
- Collaborate with industry partners to create hands-on learning and placement opportunities in Open Source.
- Offer financial incentives for companies participating in reskilling programs and using European Open Source.
- Develop a European Open Source resource platform with training materials, best practices, and case studies.
- Integrate European Open Source principles into STEM curricula from secondary school to university level.
- Support the creation of European Open Source "centres of excellence" at universities.
- Develop EU-wide coding competitions and hackathons focused on European Open Source solutions.
- Introduce European Open Source business model education in vocational training.
- Create vocational training modules for European Open Source project management.
- Establish a certification for proficiency in European Open Source business skills.
Pillar 3: Public Procurement Practices
- Launch a consultation with public sector bodies and Open Source providers to identify procurement challenges.
- Mandate "Public Money, Public Code, Open Source First, European Preference" policies in public procurement.
- Develop comprehensive procurement guidelines for evaluating and selecting European Open Source solutions.
- Fund demonstration projects showcasing the successful replacement of proprietary systems with European Open Source.
- Establish clear criteria to define what constitutes a "European" Open Source solution.
- Provide a practical guide for procurement officers to evaluate Open Source solutions.
- Collaborate with industry and standards bodies to develop accessible evaluation criteria for Open Source.
- Create a public repository of recommended European Open Source solutions.
- Encourage public sector bodies to adopt solutions developed under the Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative.
- Launch cross-border Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) projects focused on European Open Source.
- Create knowledge-sharing platforms for insights from PCP initiatives and Open Source best practices.
- Actively involve European Open Source providers in solution co-design in the PCP process.
- Publish guidelines to help public sector organizations manage and support European Open Source.
- Promote active participation of public sector representatives in European Open Source communities.
- Support training programs for public sector staff on Open Source project management and compliance.
- Engage stakeholders to collaboratively refine and simplify procurement practices for Open Source.
Pillar 4: Growth and Investment
- Create a European Open Source Investment Platform (EOSIP) to centralize funding information.
- Host informational workshops for European SMEs and startups on how to secure investment.
- Establish partnerships with private investors to form a network of EU-focused Open Source venture funds.
- Extend the Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative with a focus on Open Source cloud, edge, and IoT.
- Regularly evaluate the impact of funding schemes on community growth and market adoption.
- Allocate dedicated funding for high-impact European Open Source projects that address strategic needs.
- Develop co-investment models that pair public funds with private sector investment from European sources.
- Launch accelerators and incubators specifically designed for European Open Source technologies.
- Develop an EU-wide branding strategy to highlight the quality and sovereignty of European Open Source.
- Showcase European Open Source success stories on international platforms through marketing campaigns.
- Form strategic partnerships with European industry organizations to expand project visibility.
- Establish public-private European Open Source R&D consortia for high-priority projects.
- Offer incentives for private sector contributions to critical European Open Source initiatives.
- Develop platforms for knowledge sharing and cross-sector collaboration within the European ecosystem.
Pillar 5: Governance
- Conduct vulnerability assessments for critical European Open Source projects.
- Collaborate with European cybersecurity agencies to develop threat models for Open Source environments.
- Publish findings and best practices from security assessments to the European ecosystem.
- Offer tailored compliance guidance to help European Open Source projects navigate EU regulations.
- Facilitate accessibility to Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) certification for European Open Source projects.
- Provide resources and support for documentation and auditing of European projects.
- Secure stable, long-term funding for core European Open Source infrastructure.
- Establish mentorship programs focused on developing European talent for critical projects.
- Form a European Open Source Advisory Board to oversee project funding and guidance.
- Require EU-supported European projects to adhere to transparent governance and accountability practices.
- Support European community involvement in Open Source project governance.
- Facilitate community input into European policymaking related to Open Source.
- Publish best practice guidelines for European Open Source project lifecycle management.
- Offer resources for maintenance and responsible end-of-life support for European projects.
- Encourage comprehensive documentation and knowledge sharing within the European ecosystem.