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OpenForum Europe

OFE

OpenForum Europe (OFE) is a not-for-profit, Brussels-based independent think tank which explains the merits of openness in computing to policy makers and communities across Europe.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Guillaume Roty (Head of Unit Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs)

5 Dec 2025 · Revision of the Standardisation Regulation 1025/2012

Meeting with Manuel Mateo Goyet (Acting Head of Unit Communications Networks, Content and Technology)

4 Nov 2025 · Exchange of views on how open source can be integrated into and support CADA’s goals.

Response to EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – EU funding for competitiveness

31 Oct 2025

This feedback proposes that an EU Sovereign Tech Fund (EU-STF) be explicitly integrated as a sub-instrument -- or a subset of funding allocated for it -- within the European Competitiveness Funds digital and innovation pillar. As proposed in a July 2025 feasibility study (https://eu-stf.openforumeurope.org/), the EU-STF would serve as a dedicated mechanism for sustaining, securing, and maintaining Europes open source software (OSS) infrastructure, which underpins all strategic technologies covered by the ECF. This responds directly to the Commissions finding that the current EU funding landscape suffers from suboptimal support along the investment journey and a complex and uncoordinated funding architecture that limits impact and flexibility. European industry, research, and public administration are dependent on open source software: more than 70 percent of software stacks include OSS components. Yet these assets remain underfunded and under-maintained, increasing systemic risk to digital security, industrial resilience, and sovereignty. As the Competitiveness Compass highlights, closing Europes innovation and productivity gaps requires safeguarding the enabling infrastructures that make such innovation possible. Sustained investment in OSS maintenance is a competitiveness and security necessity. Open source dependencies are comparable to physical infrastructure. Just as the Connecting Europe Facility funds transport and energy networks, the EU-STF would secure the invisible infrastructure that supports Europes digital economy. Neglecting this layer exposes the Union to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, supply-chain fragility, and dependency on non-European actors. The proposed MFF emphasises simplification, flexibility, and coherence. The EU-STF aligns with this logic by offering a low-bureaucracy, high-leverage funding mechanism that complements other ECF initiatives particularly those supporting advanced technologies such as Chips JU, EuroHPC, and the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre. It is proposed that the EU-STF be earmarked at a baseline level of a minimum 350 million over seven years from the EU, with additional contributions from Member States and industry via a centralised fund or the European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (EDIC). This represents less than 0.02% of the total proposed MFF envelope (1.984 trillion) while delivering significant returns through prevention of cybersecurity incidents and strengthening Europes innovation capacity. The Fund could initially be established via an EDIC-based shared-management model, enabling pooled financing from the EU, Member States, and industry partners, consistent with the MFFs call for expanded use of financial instruments and budgetary guarantees to unlock private capital. Integrating the EU-STF within the ECF would reinforce the Commissions broader legislative agenda on digital sovereignty and security, through alignment with the NIS2 Directive, the Cyber Resilience Act, the AI Act, and the forthcoming Cloud and AI Development Act. Moreover, the EU-STF would operationalise Article 173 TFEUs mandate to strengthen the EUs industrial base by addressing market and coordination failures in maintaining shared digital (public) goods. To ensure coherence and impact, the Commission should: -- Earmark a dedicated budget line of at least 350 million within the ECF for the EU-STF, with co-financing by Member States and industry. -- Mandate DG CNECT to coordinate implementation through an executive digital agency or EDIC, in collaboration with the German Sovereign Tech Agency and other national initiatives. -- Integrate open source maintenance metrics into the MFF performance framework to monitor cybersecurity, resilience, and innovation outcomes. -- Ensure proportional governance, embedding developer-community representation and lightweight compliance.
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Meeting with Lucilla Sioli (Director Communications Networks, Content and Technology) and

19 Mar 2025 · Exchange of views on the implementation of the AI Act with respect to open-source AI

Meeting with Barbara Bonvissuto (Director Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs)

5 Mar 2025 · Open Source in the context of the Standardisation Regulation

Meeting with Manuel Mateo Goyet (Acting Head of Unit Communications Networks, Content and Technology)

27 Feb 2025 · Open Source in EU policy