Free Software Foundation Europe is a charity that empowers users to control technology.
Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use, understand, adapt, and share software. These rights help support other fundamental rights like freedom of speech, freedom of press, and privacy. Learn more...
Software Freedom Podcast
And we are back for our 35th episode of the Software Freedom Podcast with our monthly update on policy decisions, votes and discussions in the European Union! Together Bonnie Mehring and Alexander Sander talk about one specific policy topic in regard to Free Software. This month they sat down and covered the vote on the Tech sovereignty INI in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE).
News
In just a few days, the 2025 Youth Hacking 4 Freedom programming period will come to an end, marking the start of the evaluation phase. Among the jury members is Alexios Zavras, who has been involved since the very first edition of the contest. Let us hear his insights on the YH4F competition and what motivates him to be part of the jury.
Newsletter
May kept us quite busy attending conferences and with the kick-off of the Refund4Freedom initiative. We also went through the issue of the threshold of originality for copyrightable source code and talked in our latest episode of the Software Freedom Podcast about the tech sovereignty debate in the EU.
Refund4Freedom +++ Legal Corner +++ SFP
2025-06-04
Youth Hacking 4 Freedom 2025: programming competition (online)
00:0101 January – 23:59 UTC
30 June 2025
FSFE Netherlands online get-together (online)
18:00 – 20:00 UTC
18 June 2025
Digital Selfdefense in Berlin, Deutschland
16:00 – 19:00 UTC
19 June 2025
Free Software and FSFE is to me: sharing, learning, being independent of monopolies, producing things together, passion and freedom! Since I've been a Supporter, I am finding new friends who help me in Free Software and other topics, teaching new things every day even though we are kilometers away. It is magnificent to be in a community that continually supports my Free Software passion and motivation!
When I read the term "Intellectual Property" I always suspected it to be a "contradictio in adiecto", because only something physical can be possessed, intellectual ideas can not. To get the best benefit out of ideas for all, they should be spread as wide as possible and with as few restrictions as possible. The GNU General Public License seems to be a good example for such little restriction, especially the inheritance principle prevents possible misuse of the idea about Free Software. Following these ideas in an ethical way, for me the FSFE seems to be the very best NGO to be found. And so I support them. And I only found kind people here.
I love Free Software because it empowers me to do unconventional and innovative things. It allows me to be independent from any single entity, fosters a culture of transparency, deepens my understanding of the tools I use, and helps build a trusting community. I want the next one to have the same freedoms I enjoy and to break the chain of proprietary, unjust software. This is why I support FSFE and proudly advocate for Free Software.
Andrea `amreo` Laisa (Computer Science student and maker, BGLUG associate)
