OpenForum Europe

Episode 3 of the @europeanOSacademy@fosstodon.org Masterclass dives into key decisions when starting an open source business. Amandine Le Pape explains licenses, roles in the open source ecosystem, and why “open washing” undermines trust. A practical look at building responsibly in the open source landscape.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEV5qzGe_b4

It’s been a month since the Summit brought together policymakers, industry leaders & public admins to explore who open tech can boost Europe's digital sovereignty.
In our newest blogpost, OFE's Nicholas Gates recaps the key discussion

Read the blog post: https://openforumeurope.org/the-eu-open-source-policy-summit-2026-key-learnings-and-takeaways/

It’s been three weeks since the EU Open Source Policy Summit brought together policymakers, open source industry leaders, major IT users, and public administrations to explore how open technologies can strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and digital sovereignty.

To relive a day full of dialogue and collaboration, we’ve created an aftermovie. It highlights the full day and features Aura Salla, Liv Marte Nordhaug, Thibaut Kleiner, and Sachiko Muto.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/_j3SdwfGXOw

The Agency for Digital Government’s December 2025 report outlines key prerequisites for successful open source adoption, drawing on both Danish experiences and international best practices.

This article from the European Commission’s Open Source Observatory (OSOR) examines the report.

Read the full article:
https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/open-source-observatory-osor/news/denmark-explores-prerequisites-success-open-source

The OFE newsletter is the best way to keep up with our work and the open technology ecosystem in Europe. It delivers the latest on EU policy developments, key events, new publications, and opportunities to collaborate, all in one regular update.

Subscribe here: https://openforumeurope.org/newsletter/

OpenForum Europe has updated its October Public Letter, now joined by three new signatories: the Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland e. V., the Processing Foundation and the Drupal Association.

Read the updated public letter:
https://eu-stf.openforumeurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/EU-Sovereign-Tech-Fund-Public-Support-Letter_v4.pdf

In 2025, the German federal government committed to adopting Open Document Format (ODF) as a national standard by 2027.

This article from the European Commission’s Open Source Observatory (OSOR) explores this development.

Read the full article:
https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/open-source-observatory-osor/news/germany-aims-standardise-odf-2027

EU Open Source Week 2026 wrapped up on February 1, and OpenForum Europe is thrilled to have been part of so many inspiring activities. In our newest blog post, we reflects on OFE’s involvement in the EU Open Source week.

Read the full blog post: https://openforumeurope.org/connecting-europes-open-source-community-eu-open-source-week-2026/

NGI Commons launched a survey on Building Blocks for Europe's Open Internet Stack. Your input will be used for policy recommendations to the Commission and shape the future of European digital sovereignty!

Take the survey: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/3b611754-9e75-ae52-1115-b6ef918f2fa7

⏱️ 20-30 minutes
🌍 Open until 23:59 on 8 March 2026

If you are a part of Europe's open technology ecosystem, help build a Digital Commons-based approach to Europe's sovereign digital infrastructure.

The European Open Source Academy (EOSA) launched a seven-part masterclass, “Building and Sustaining the Open Source Impact,” created by Amandine Le Pape, COO of Element and Co-Founder of Matrix.org Foundation. The series provides Open Source enthusiasts with insights on growing sustainable open source businesses and highlights their role in European innovation and digital transformation.

Subscribe to the EOSA YouTube channel and get notified when a new episode drops @europeanopensourceacademy@www.youtube.com

The 2nd Annual European Open Source Awards were held in Brussels on 29 Jan 2026 at the Bibliothèque Solvay, celebrating the individuals and organisations building the Open Source foundation for Europe’s digital infrastructure.

See the full list of winner in the comments⬇️

The session recordings and photos from the EU Open Source Policy Summit 2026 are now available.

Session recordings are now available on the OFE YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPSRZrrm1DwweabTKb98PyaciCFLIxcKg

Event photos are live on the Summit website: https://summit.openforumeurope.org/gallery/

Yesterday, the public consultation on the European Commission's Open Digital Ecosystems Strategy officially closed.

At OFE, we welcomed the opportunity to share our perspective on how open source can enhance Europe’s digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, and competitiveness. We appreciate the Commission’s commitment to the Open Source ecosystem and its recognition of Open Source as a strategic driver of Europe’s digital policy ambitions.

Read our full submission: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/16213-European-Open-Digital-Ecosystems/F33370461_en

Last Friday at the EU Open Source Policy Summit 2026, OFE, @open@mastodon.cloud Source Initiative, and @open@mastodon.cloud Knowledge Foundation launched Open Technology Research (OTR), a partnership to advance evidence-based policymaking and global research on the impacts of open technologies. Look in the comments for more details.

https://opentechresearch.org/blog/press-release-open-technology-research-officially-launches-to-strengthen-global-research-community/

"Looking back on the Summit, what stood out to me was the broad agreement from speakers in the panels and discussions in the hallway: digital sovereignty will run on Open Source. The time to take action is now. Speaking to everyone at the Summit showed the commitment, positive energy and unity of the community. I am especially excited to make my contribution to Europe’s future." - Laszlo Igneczi (Executive Director, OpenForum Europe)

Deborah Bryant, Astor Nummelin Carlberg and @avilarenata@mastodon.social took the stage to launch the Open Technology Research, a joint initiative of OpenForum Europe, the
@okfn@fosstodon.org, and the @osi@social.opensource.org.
Acknowledging the lack of coordinated empirical research on open technologies, the initiative will create a sustainable global platform for research, knowledge exchange, and policy engagement.

Access the website here: https://opentechresearch.org/

@HennaVirkkunen@ec.social-network.europa.eu gave a keynote address, lauding the EU as "the beacon of open source technology". Existing innovation must now be supported to reach scale, ensure financial sustainability and achieve wider market penetration.