Bring Back Free Software Funding: Give Your Feedback to the European Commission
The European Commission has cut important funds for Free Software. The non-transparent decision shows the need for sustainable long-term funding to allow the EU to control its own technology. Raise your voice and take part in an ongoing consultation to ask for sustainable long-term funds for software freedom. We explain why and how.
Why should we care?
A few weeks ago the European Commission made the decision to stop funding the Next Generation Internet initiative (NGI) in its then current draft for the Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme. This decision results in a loss of €27 million for software freedom. Since 2018, the European Commission has supported the Free Software ecosystem through NGI, that provided funding and technical assistance to Free Software projects. This decision unfortunately exposes a larger issue: that software freedom in the EU needs more stable, long-term financial support. The ease with which this funding was excluded from the Work Programme underlines this need.
Now you can ask for these funds and criticise the Commission's decision, by taking part in the ongoing consultation on the Digital Europe Programme. As the Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative proved, public funding enables projects to innovate and promote a more open, independent, and accessible internet. Cutting funding for Free Software threatens to undermine this progress and push Europe away from policies that ensure people’s control over their own technology. That is why we demand that the €27 million for 2025 be brought back as well as demanding secured, sustainable long-term funding for Free Software.
By participating in this consultation, which closes on 20 September (midnight Brussels time) you can help to advocate for a digital future that puts users in control of technology. Your input makes a difference.
How to Take Action
- Participating is simple and it doesn’t take too long . Just visit the consultation page and create an account. You only need a valid e-mail address. This step is quick and easy.
- Complete the survey: After signing up, you’ll be redirected to the survey. The process is relatively quick (~20 minutes) depending on which questions you consider most important and the level of detail. If you're unsure how to answer certain questions, you can skip those that aren't mandatory or draw inspiration from our answers. The key is to ensure that some of the arguments outlined below are included in the blank spaces.
And that’s all :)
Ideas and key points to consider while submitting the consultation:
- Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives, and it is important that this technology empowers rather than restricts us. It gives everybody the rights to use, understand, adapt, and share software. In order to establish trustworthy systems, users must ensure they have full control over the software and the computer systems they are using. However, among the biggest challenges we still face today are vendor lock in and a lack of interoperability. This issue is particularly prevalent in public bodies, which often heavily rely on proprietary, closed source software.
- We strongly advise prioritising the use and distribution of Free Software as well as providing financial support to relevant projects and the Free Software ecosystem. This support should be a sustainable long term fund for Software Freedom, focusing on independence, resilience, control, security, and sovereignty. A dedicated fund for Free Software would not only help governments to have better and more secure software, tailored to their needs, but also support the European IT market and the overall digital Europe.
- The Digital Europe Programme can only unfold its full potential if it is systematically focusing on the support of Free Software solutions. Otherwise, it risks continuing creating new dependencies and future lock-ins. By going in the direction of Free Software first, the EU can assure that taxpayers' money is spent in the most efficient way, while fostering the collaborative ecosystem needed to achieve true interoperability in Europe. An open and interoperable digital public sector is critical for addressing the social, economic, and political challenges faced by democratic governments.
We’ve already participated. Now it’s your turn. Participating in the consultation with your own wording can be very valuable as it allows the European Commission to hear a diverse range of voices and perspectives, which strengthens our common argument for sustainable funding for Free Software while demonstrating that this demand comes from an engaged community. While you can use our answers as a reference, your own words will significantly bolster the case for why Free Software is essential for Europe’s digital future.
Let’s make sure the European Commission hears us loud and clear. Together, we can bring back the funds for Free Software and safeguard the future of an open, transparent, and democratic internet. If you successfully submit a response to the consultation, please let us know via email: contact@fsfe.org.