At the EU Open Source Policy Summit 2026, the “OSPOs as Sovereignty Engines” panel explored how organisations are building capacity for digital sovereignty. OSPOs emerged as key to scaling collaboration, governance, and secure open source adoption across Europe’s ecosystem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcxaBetVrLc
The European Commission’s Open Source Observatory has published its second update of the Czechia Country Report, examining the evolution and recent developments in open source software adoption in the country over the past three years.
The ninth NGI Zero funding round is supporting 57 free and open source projects working on shared digital infrastructure.
This round sees a high number of projects working on protocols and interoperability, trusted open hardware, and end-user facing applications.
So far 371 projects have received funding in the nine rounds of the NGI Zero Commons Fund.
Explore the full list of projects and see how they’re shaping the future: https://nlnet.nl/news/2026/20260409-announce-commons-fund.html
Croatian academic & scientific communities launched a joint platform, OpenCode.HR.
Coordinated by the University of Zagreb, this new initiative seeks to centralise open data and promote reusability and cross-sectoral cooperation at a time when data access management and digital sovereignty are increasingly important.
Read the full article: https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/open-source-observatory-osor/news/croatian-academic-scientific-communities-launch-joint-platform
Only one month to go until the OFE Lounge Series 2026 begins!
Register now: https://openforumeurope.org/events/ofe-lounge-2026/
This year’s series will focus on the revision of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.
OFE's Policy Advisor, Clara Thébert will moderate the four online sessions.
At the EU Open Source Policy Summit 2026, the panel “Open Source & Economic Security” stressed open standards, interoperability, and leveraging open source in public administration to boost innovation and resilience.
Watch the full discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAC8EEz2TD8
Kenya has launched an Open Source Programme Office (OSPO) within its Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, becoming the first African country to take this step.
The initiative aims to build sovereign digital infrastructure and a national open source stack, while strengthening collaboration and supporting Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Digital Public Goods (DPGs).
Read the full article: https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/open-source-observatory-osor/news/kenyas-open-source-software-stack-takes-shape
@europeanOSacademy (EOSA) is hosting a new webinar.
Join EOSA on April 8th at 14:00 CEST for:
“Breaking Cloud Lock-in: The Role of Open Source and Standards in Creating a Competitive Cloud Market.”
Register now: https://europeanopensource.academy/form/breaking-cloud-lock-in-webinar-r
OpenForum Europe is expanding! We are excited to welcome our new Policy Analyst, Éléonore Daxhelet. Éléonore initially joined OFE as a Research Assistant in June 2025 and has now transitioned into a full-time role.
Join us in welcoming Éléonore to the OFE team!
At the EU Open Source Policy Summit 2026, the panel “Europe as the World’s Home for Open Source” explored boosting EU competitiveness & sovereignty. Speakers called for funding & cross-border collaboration to sustain open ecosystems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlRlvbXatb4
Open Technology Research has now published the key insights from all three global consultations it held on 19 March, to shape its research agenda, ensuring it reflects the real challenges practitioners face.
The Asia Pacific consultation:
https://opentechresearch.org/blog/open-technology-research-global-consultations-key-insights-from-the-asia-pacific-region/
The Europe and Africa consultation:
https://opentechresearch.org/blog/open-technology-research-global-consultations-key-insights-from-europe-and-africa/
The Americas consultation:
https://opentechresearch.org/blog/open-technology-research-global-consultations-key-insights-from-the-americas/
In Feb 2026, France’s ANSSI updated its open source policy: all agency software will now use licenses compliant with French law, aiming to align releases with national legislation and promote secure, legally sound open source practices.
Read the full article: https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/open-source-observatory-osor/news/anssi-updates-its-open-source-policy
Finland’s open source polling platform, Voxit, fosters transparent and collaborative citizen engagement in political debates, aiming to reduce polarisation.
Read the full article by the EU Commission's Open Source Observatory: https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/open-source-observatory-osor/news/voxit-polling-platform-launches-european-collaboration
Today we sent out our newsletter! The OpenForum Europe newsletter is the best way to keep up with our work and the broader open technology ecosystem in Europe. Sign up now: https://openforumeurope.org/newsletter/
Last Nov, ESA & IBM Research released ImpactMesh, a global dataset of floods & wildfires, used to fine-tune the open source AI TerraMind. Open sourcing these tools boosts research, disaster preparedness, and access to satellite data.
Read the full article here: https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/open-source-observatory-osor/news/esa-open-sourced-ai-model-earth-observation
The panel “Europe’s Software Challenge” at the EU Open Source Policy Summit 2026 explored how openness can act as a foundation for competitiveness, innovation, and digital sovereignty.
The conversation evolved around common challenges facing the ecosystem, with a strong emphasis on collaboration, investment, and turning ambition into actionable outcomes.
Watch the full discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIZgIlcY7cw
In the final episode, Amandine Le Pape looks at how procurement and policy can drive real change. Building open source may be harder than closed source—but the benefits for maintainers, organisations, and users are transformative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWMGC8zPOQY
Episode 6 tackles common misconceptions about open source. Amandine Le Pape explains the risks of relying on projects without supporting them—and why sustainability is critical for the long-term health of the open source ecosystem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7STht-EjyLQ
The German Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (SPRIND)’s new initiative puts public input at the centre of government innovation, using open source tools to turn feedback into real projects.
Read the full article:
https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/open-source-observatory-osor/news/sprind-engages-citizens-simplify-bureaucracy-open-source
Episode 5 focuses on open source business models that work. Amandine Le Pape breaks down revenue approaches such as managed hosting, dual licensing, training and certification, and hardware bundling, showing how sustainable models can amplify open source impact.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB79S5M6L9E
