Director EU Government Affairs at APELL // Political Consultant – digital policy, artificial intelligence, data strategy, data protection and fundamental rights (he/him)
The paper just published by @netzpolitik_feed shows: financing is a major issue for #OpenSource, but administrations need to invest anyways: Windows 10 is at end of life this year and contracts become artificially more expensive because of AI features – public procurement is the primary lever for #Europe’s sovereign tech #stack! #techsovereignty
via @zarasophos
https://darmstadt.social/@zarasophos/114710524045817503
Der Bericht, den @netzpolitik_feed gerade veröffentlicht, zeigt: #Finanzierung ist die große Baustelle für #OpenSource–aber Verwaltungen müssen ohnehin investieren: Windows 10 läuft aus, Produkte werden wegen KI künstlich teurer! Die öffentliche Mittelvergabe ist der erste Hebel, den #Europa stellen kann für einen souveränen Technologie-#Stack! Aber auch die Privatwirtschaft muss sich fragen, ob sie weiter in Abhängigkeiten investieren will.
https://chaos.social/@netzpolitik_feed/114710541204166603
I spotted this immediately after reading that Tesla has closed its Cybertruck production line. Coincidence??
Two days of conference on the Next Generation Internet, that is the NGI Forum 2025. I‘m glad to be here today for @apell and to host the panel discussion ”Open Infrastructure, Sovereign Future: Building Europe’s Digital capacity“! Join us online, starting in 30 minutes at 16:10 CEST! https://ngi.eu/ngi-forum25/
🚀Only 1 hour until #NGIForum25 kicks off! Europe's leading internet innovators, policymakers, and researchers are gathering to tackle one of our most pressing challenges: building an Open Internet Stack for #European digital sovereignty.
Can't make Brussels? Plenary sessions are live-streamed 📺 on the #NGI website: https://ngi.eu/ngi-forum25/
#NGIForum2025 #DigitalSovereignty #OpenInternet #DigitalCommons #EuropeanInnovation #OpenSource
APELL is growing: At today‘s APELL Conference in #Warsaw, we are happy to announce that two new #OpenSource business associations are joining us: the newly founded Danish Open Source Vendors (Danske Open Source Leverandører, #DOSL), and the Dutch Open Source Business Alliance (#DOSBA).
Read our full announcement on the APELL website: https://apell.info/2025/06/10/dosba-and-dosl-join-apell/
"Open by Design, Sovereign by Choice"
APELL Conference 2025 keynote by Holger Pfister of SUSE. #GeekoOnTour
@Suse
@apell
Really glad to see the #OSI's efforts highlighted here.
I worked as a Parliament staffer during negotiations on the #CyberResilienceAct, and can say with confidence that if it weren't for OSI, it's educational work, and its efforts to connect lawmakers with Open Source developers, the CRA would have been extremely harmful for the #OpenSource community.
🧵10/10 You can find the Commission's announcement (https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/eu-sets-out-its-international-digital-strategy) for the International Digital Strategy on the Commission Website. The full communication (https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/joint-communication-international-digital-strategy-eu) and its annex can be downloaded as PDF.
🧵9/10 The currently foreseen **budget of only € 10 Million seems way too small to carry the envisioned extension and broadening**. And as far as improving the access to finance goes, developers across the globe can best cooperate on technology that is more sustainable, reliable, and secure, when they have access to public – and also **private funding**.
🧵8/x In order to increase technological sovereignty, the Commission commits to **extending and broadening the Open Internet Stack**. While at it, the Commission could also increase the portion of funding for Open Source technology that makes up more than 90% of the technology at the foundation of the Internet.
🧵7/x Whether for communication infrastructure, emerging technologies, cybersecurity, interference and manipulation, or platforms, the Commission knows the EU is not alone and needs global cooperation and a rule-based global order. Open Source is a successful effort because of global cooperation and international exchange. Technological sovereignty can be increased without further escalating international relations.
🧵6/x Therefore, the Tech Business Offer is best established **with #OpenSource technology and #OpenGovernment policies in conjunction**. The International Digital Strategy is an opportunity to export technology, democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights, too.
🧵5/x The development of the "integrated Tech Business Offer" as a joint effort of the EU and its Member States wants to deploy secure and trusted Digital Public Infrastructure.
However, successful examples like the India Stack project show that the **acceptance of a project increases** when Digital Public Infrastructure allows for democratic oversight and control.
🧵4/x The Commission understands that it needs to diversify its partners in the digital field and shows off existing networks and partnerships.
Some partnerships really need fleshing out: the list of existing digital trade agreements (https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/help-exporters-and-importers/accessing-markets/goods-and-services/digital-trade/digital-trade-agreements_en) currently contains Singapore and South Korea.
🧵3/x Dependencies need to be **reduced**, sovereignty needs to be **increased**. This can be done by **building up alternatives to the incumbent products and services**, but requires investments into infrastructure and the conclusion of contracts with **technology providers that do not lock public authorities, governments, and businesses into new dependencies**, but provide for switching, and allow its users to build up their own capacities, and replace a provider if it is bought up!
🧵2/x The Commission understands that **technological and economic dependencies can be weaponised** against the EU, and that **critical technology can leak out of Europe** when innovators like successful startups are bought up and moved away from the EU. But the strategy mentions this only briefly in the introduction to point 1 and **does not turn the analysis into actions**.
And here it is, the long awaited @EUCommission's International Digital Strategy!
First Ctrl+F (Cmd+F) shows that while #OpenSource is present, and the strategy seems to understand why it is important for communication infrastructure, the strategic importance of Open Source businesses for #techSovereignty has not made the cut. (potential 🧵)
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1370
Last preparations for the #APELLconference2025: ✅ slide deck prepared, ✅ speaker info sent, ✅ textile stickers ordered for overnight delivery…
Join us Tuesday in #Warsaw! https://apell.info/apell-conference-2025-warsaw/ #OpenSource
