Industry Committee vote: Technology sovereignty is only possible with Free Software
Industry committee of the European Parliament shows necessity and benefits of “open-source first” policy but report lacks concrete measures.
Today, the Industry committee (ITRE) of the European Parliament voted on an own-initiative report on European technological sovereignty and digital infrastructure, touching several fields from chips to undersea-cables to software. Free Software, also known as Open Source, plays an important role.
In light of strong dependencies and vendor lock-ins, the Committee sees “Open Source first” policies as a solution, following the “Public Money? Public Code!” demand of the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE). The committee wants procurement to focus on interoperable solutions, and is pointing to the benefits of Free Software in fostering competitiveness and innovation thanks to its global character.
“Gaining control over technology is one of the pressing topics for the European Union. Reducing dependencies and removing vendor lock-ins is key to achieving this, and only the four freedoms of Free Software to use, study, share, and improve the code allow it. A Free Software first policy must facilitate easy procurement of Free Software solutions while fostering collaboration between Member States. Implementation also needs to be well-executed. Furthermore, reliable long-term funding for Free Software core infrastructure and security is needed to ensure digital and technological sovereignty. Unfortunately the report lacks concrete measures and requirements that need to be improved before the plenary vote.” states Alexander Sander, FSFE Senior Policy Consultant.
Free Software and “Public Money? Public Code!”
Free Software gives everyone the right to use, study, share and improve applications for any purpose. These 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 paid for by the general public are available to all. This promotes innovation and saves taxpayers’ money in the medium to long term. 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 on the “Public Money? Public Code!” website.