FSFE symposium: Public Money? Public Code! in practice
Free Software is indispensable for public authorities to overcome dependencies and achieve technological sovereignty. Therefore, the need of the hour is "Public Money? Public Code!" The Free Software Foundation Europe's symposium in Essen on 08 April 2025 will open up practical perspectives on how administrations can move forward in this direction.
Together with representatives from politics, public administration, business, academia and civil society, we want to discuss the benefits of Free Software for public institutions at local, state and federal level, and the challenges that arise along the way. The focus will be on the use of Free Software in municipalities: Where do best practices already exist and what can we learn from them? What can municipal Free Software governance look like? What opportunities does Free Software offer for collaboration? What needs to be considered during procurement?
The symposium "Public Money? Public Code! in practice" is organised by the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE). It is primarily aimed at decision-makers, procurers and multipliers from public administrations in Germany as well as people who are involved in the digitisation of public administration in their day-to-day work.
The event will be held in German. Participation is free of charge, but online registration is required (registration deadline 23 March 2025). The number of participants is limited, a confirmation of participation will be sent on 25 March 2025. The FSFE Code of Conduct applies.
We look forward to your registration!
Event dates and registration
Date: 08 April 2025
Admission and registration: 10:00 am
Symposium: 11:00 - 16:00
Location: Unperfekthaus,
Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 18-20, 45127 Essen, Germany
Registration: https://registration.fsfe.org/publiccode-fachtag
Programme
10:00 – Check-in and Meet & Greet
11:00 – Opening
Johannes Näder / Alexander Sander (FSFE)
11:10 – Digital sovereignty through Free Software
Jutta Horstmann (Zentrum Digitale Souveränität, ZenDiS)
11:40 – A city shapes change: “Public Money? Public Code!” in
practice
Christian Nähle (Do-FOSS)
12:00 – Free Software governance in
municipalities
Marc Groß (KGSt)
12:20 – Good Free Software procurement through clear
criteria
Bianca Kastl (Stadt Frankfurt am Main)
12:40 – Procure Free Software successfully: How to avoid
pitfalls and seize opportunities
Panel: Johanna Gramlich (FITKO), Jutta Horstmann, Bianca Kastl,
Moderation: Alexander Sander (FSFE)
13:15 – Lunch break
14:15 – Free Software in administration: What is needed for
success?
N.N.
14:35 – openCode – the infrastructure for digital
sovereignty
Leonhard Kugler (ZenDiS)
14:55 – Administration, civil society, community:
Collaboration as a model for success
Simon Strohmenger (CONSUL)
15:15 – Public code needs public money: Securing tech
sovereignty in the long term
Panel: N.N., Lea Beiermann (ZenDiS), Christian Nähle, Simon Strohmenger,
Moderation: Johannes Näder (FSFE)
16:00 – Coffee and networking
17:00 – End of the event
Free Software and "Public Money? Public Code!"
Free Software gives everyone the right to use, study, share, and improve applications for any purpose. These four freedoms ensure that similar applications do not have to be programmed from scratch every time and, thanks to transparent processes, others do not have to reinvent the wheel. In large projects, expertise and costs can be shared and applications are available to all. This promotes innovation and saves taxpayers money in the future. Dependencies on vendors are minimised and security issues can be fixed more easily. The Free Software Foundation Europe, together with over 200 organisations and administrations, is therefore calling for “Public Money? Public Code!” - If it is public money, it should be public code as well! More information on the initiative is available on the "Public Money? Public Code!" website.