Back from our FSFE25 celebrations with news about EIF and the DMA
August is here and after our FSFE 25 years celebration, we are already working on our next projects! While we are still enjoying the wonderful "hangover" of our days in Kraków, in the last weeks we have also got positive news on the DMA and the Apple litigation, we submitted our proposal to the new EIF, and more!
25 years ago, our founders declared:
"Software already transcends daily life in an increasing manner and becomes a deciding factor. Just as other developments in the past of mankind, software developed from being an economic to a cultural property with increasing presence in everyday life. […] It is essential for the future of mankind that software as a cultural property will remain accessible for everyone and is preserved in libraries like other knowledge."
Two and a half decades later, standing among staff, volunteers, and supporters who have built this movement, that message is more urgent than ever. Turning 25 was a moment to reflect on major milestones while casting an eye toward our vision for 2048.
That vision was put into practice in a major way this July when the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered a decisive victory for software freedom. In Apple v. European Commission, a case in which the FSFE intervened as the only charitable organisation defending developer rights, the Court dismissed Apple’s challenge to its gatekeeper status under the Digital Markets Act. The ruling confirmed that gatekeepers cannot bypass interoperability requirements or fragment their platforms to evade accountability. This milestone brings us one step closer to true device neutrality, ensuring that both developers and users have the freedom to build, install, and run software on their own terms. If you want to learn more, we dedicated our latest Legal Corner article to it.
On a related matter, in July we published an analysis for Tech Policy Press on the landmark Google Android antitrust ruling of the European Union Court of Justice. We argue that the real battle ahead isn't over contracts, but over who controls trust in the Android ecosystem, as Google's incoming Android Developer Verification scheme will make it much harder to distribute apps outside Google's own approval system. And one more reading recommendation! Our colleague Dr. Lucas Lasota, who also works at the Martin-Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, has just published a paper examining how interoperability regulation in the EU, Japan, the UK and Brazil can give Free Software access to features controlled by dominant proprietary platforms and help level the playing field for smaller developers and communities.
At the same time, we are looking at how the European Commission updates the European Interoperability Framework. We are actively urging European decision-makers to adopt a "Free Software by default" model for all digital public services. Public administrations across Europe are more concerned than ever about digital sovereignty, and we are advocating for mandatory Open Standards, clearer procurement guidelines to prevent openwashing, and sustained funding for the digital commons.
From the stages
August is also the moment to talk about Free Software with our German community. As usual, we will attend FrOSCon! We will be there on 15 and 16 August with a booth and several talks: about CRA; Openwashing, and what the United Federation of Planets and the Free Software Foundation Europe have in common.
Youth Hacking 4 Freedom
Our programming competition for young European is into its next phase! The programming period for the current edition of YH4F wrapped up at the end of June. During July our jury of experts has reviewed all submitted projects and compiled a shortlist for interviews. From this list the jury members will select this year's six winning projects.
If you or a young person you know missed out on this edition, don't worry: registration for the next edition of YH4F is open! Stay tuned for more announcements.
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Your editor,
Ana