Response to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence on Open Source
As a full-service open source solution provider, we identify three strategic pillars to strengthen digital sovereignty in the EU:
1. Incentivize Open Source in Public Procurement
- Preferential scoring: Award additional points to open source solutions in tenders.
- Reference: The OSB Alliance’s criteria provide a robust framework for sustainable procurement.
2. Simplify Funding for Open Source Maintainers
- Streamlined payment models: Organizations using open source need straightforward ways to compensate maintainers or service providers (e.g., via SLAs).
- Alternative to donations/licenses: Traditional models often conflict with open source culture. Our FairPay template, developed at the BigBlueButton Summit (Vienna, 2025), enables self-assigned invoicing for commercial partnerships.
3. Integrate Open Source into Sustainability Reporting
- CSR recognition: Digital sovereignty is an ethical imperative. Companies adopting open source should highlight these efforts in their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports, reinforcing transparency and accountability.
Additional Recommendations to Boost Participation
To encourage open source companies to engage in tenders:
- Lower turnover thresholds and reduce administrative burdens.
- Incentivize participation: Offer small stipends for tender/pitch participants, as suggested by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce’s Kreativwirtschaft (p. 70).
Key Success Factors for Open Source Adoption
From our experience, successful implementation hinges on:
- Dedicated coordination: Assign a liaison to bridge technical teams.
- User-centric design: Prioritize intuitive UX and cohesive branding (see: LinuxDay 2025 talk).
- Service reliability: Provide SLAs to reassure IT decision-makers.
- Collaborative business models: Open source providers should cooperate beyond code—e.g., through cooperatives (fairkom, HostSharing, Mastodon). While these models lack traditional exit strategies, they foster resilience and scalability for large or international projects.
- Seamless integration: Replace proprietary systems gradually, ensuring interoperability with existing infrastructure (e.g., AD, Entra, Outlook). This requires adaptable, bilingual (open/proprietary) expertise.
Our Commitment We actively support open source communities and operate a high-availability cloud infrastructure, demonstrating the viability of open solutions for daily life and work. By addressing these pillars, the EU can accelerate digital sovereignty while fostering innovation and fairness.
Question for Reflection: How might the EU balance the need for scalable open source adoption with the practical challenges of procurement and funding?
Read our full statement here.
