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ANSOL - Associação Nacional para o Software Livre

ANSOL

A "ANSOL - Associação Nacional para o Software Livre" é uma associação portuguesa sem fins lucrativos que tem como fim a divulgação, promoção, desenvolvimento, investigação e estudo da Informática Livre e das suas repercussões sociais, políticas, filosóficas, culturais, técnicas e científicas.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Catarina Martins (Member of the European Parliament)

29 Jan 2026 · Soberania digital e proteção de dados

Meeting with António Tânger Corrêa (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Jan 2026 · Courtesy meeting

Meeting with Sebastião Bugalho (Member of the European Parliament)

31 Jan 2025 · Free Software

Meeting with João Oliveira (Member of the European Parliament)

30 Jan 2025 · Software livre

Meeting with Sérgio Humberto (Member of the European Parliament)

30 Jan 2025 · Free Software

Meeting with Catarina Martins (Member of the European Parliament)

30 Jan 2025 · Free Software

Meeting with Bruno Gonçalves (Member of the European Parliament)

29 Jan 2025 · IMCO policies

Meeting with Carlos Zorrinho (Member of the European Parliament)

1 Feb 2024 · Software livre

Meeting with José Gusmão (Member of the European Parliament)

31 Jan 2024 · CSAM derogation

Meeting with Francisco Guerreiro (Member of the European Parliament)

1 Feb 2023 · Free software

Meeting with José Gusmão (Member of the European Parliament)

1 Feb 2023 · CSA Regulation; Public Money, Public Code

Meeting with Maria da Graça Carvalho (Member of the European Parliament)

31 Jan 2023 · CSA Regulation/Public Code

Response to Sustainable Products Initiative

22 Jun 2022

The main objectives of this regulation are to reduce the negative life cycle environmental impacts of products and improve the functioning of the internal market. ANSOL supports that goal and wants to highlight specific necessary regulations to reduce the negative life cycle environmental impacts of electronic products in particular: As outlined in Article 5.1, ecodesign requirements shall be established to improve - among others - the following product aspects: durability, reusability, repairability, upgradability and possibility of maintenance and refurbishment. Most of nowadays electronic devices, in particular phones and tablets, can be reused and upgraded by installing a Free Software operating system on it. Installing such a Free Software operating system is a way out of obsolescence often imposed by manufacturers of proprietary software products. This way, electronic devices can be used much longer and electronic waste can be reduced. Unfortunately, manufacturers often impose technical or legal restrictions on installing Free Software operating systems on their devices. This is one of the most crucial elements that need to be fixed within the upcoming delegated acts regarding ecodesign requirements: Users shall have the universal right to install any software on any device. Within the here proposed directive, Article 5.3 states that "ecodesign requirements shall, as appropriate, include (...) (b) information requirements as set out in Article 7". So in order to establish the universal right to install any software on any device we propose to re-formulate the current Art 7.2.b.II to include "(ii) information for consumers and other end-users on how to re-install the default operating system or installing another operating system of choice." Another important point on the longevity of electronic devices covers their interoperability. As outlined in Article 5 of this regulation "Ecodesign requirements shall meet the following criteria: (...) there shall be no proprietary technology imposed on manufacturers or other economic actors;" The repair sector is is an important economic actor in the EU. More and more this repair sector cannot further operate because manufacturers impose proprietary technologies on them in order to offer repair service. To balance the interests and in order for the repair sector to not being imposed a proprietary technology, again there is the need for the right to install any operating system. This way they manufacturers can sell their devices with proprietary systems but third-party economies can reuse, upgrade and maintain the devices by installing Free Software operating systems. In addition, full access to hardware must be guaranteed by the obligation of manufacturers to publish their drivers, tools and interfaces under a Free Software license. Both regulations are key for competition, aftermarkets and longevity of hardware, thus helping to save resources and reduce ewaste in multiple ways. Finally, in case of connected devices that are sold with an integrated access to a remote software service or cloud service, the goal to not impose proprietary technologies on manufacturers or other economic actors can only be guaranteed by offering devices and their connected services in open standards. This enables customers to buy a device from one manufacturer and use the service from another. Thus enjoying competition and longevity of their devices in one. We welcome Article 9.1.d that "all information included in the product passport shall be based on open, standards, developed with an inter-operable format and shall be machine-readable, structured, and searchable". Still it should be added that the Product passport registry in Article 12 should be offered as Open Data to citizens in the EU. This way, the information on product passes within the EU is open to third-party analyses, customer and environmental information.
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