European Commission issues call for evidence on open source

Relevant links and information:

Deadline: 3/Feb/26

The European Commission has opened a "call for evidence" to help shape its European Open Digital Ecosystem Strategy. The commission is looking to reduce its dependence on software from non-EU countries:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=intcom%3AAres%282026%2969111

https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/16213-European-Open-Digital-Ecosystems_en

This call for evidence aims to gather feedback from different interested stakeholders,
to enrich the strategy with various perspectives.

More specifically, stakeholders are invited to reply to the following questions:

1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the EU open-source sector? What are the
   main barriers that hamper (i) adoption and maintenance of high-quality and secure
   open source; and (ii) sustainable contributions to open‑source communities?

1. What is the added value of open source for the public and private sectors? Please
   provide concrete examples, including the factors (such as cost, risk, lock-in, security,
   innovation, among others) that are most important to assess the added value.

1. What concrete measures and actions may be taken at EU level to support the
   development and growth of the EU open-source sector and contribute to the EU’s
   technological sovereignty and cybersecurity agenda?

1. What technology areas should be prioritised and why?

1. In what sectors could an increased use of open source lead to increased
   competitiveness and cyber resilience?