EU Launches Public Consultation on Digital Ecosystems

The European Commission has initiated a public consultation to gather evidence on the development of open digital ecosystems, a foundational step toward a major policy communication scheduled for early 2026. This process seeks stakeholder input to shape a strategic vision examining the pivotal role of open source software within the EU’s digital infrastructure, aiming to bolster technological sovereignty and systemic resilience.

Running from early January to early February 2026, this call for evidence will directly inform a Commission Communication to the European Parliament and Council. The resulting document will outline the EU’s strategic direction, with a focus on how open technologies can secure Europe’s digital future. The Commission underscores that open source software is a foundational component, estimating it constitutes between 70% and 90% of the code in modern digital systems. These components are ubiquitous, powering everything from public administration services and private enterprise operations to critical infrastructure across the member states.

A central concern driving this initiative is Europe’s significant dependence on external technologies. The Commission links reliance on software developed outside the EU to potential vulnerabilities in controlling essential infrastructure and software supply chains. This external dependency complicates the oversight of critical components that underpin everyday digital services. In response, the concept of open digital ecosystems is framed as a pathway to greater sovereignty, promoting technologies that can be independently inspected, adapted, and shared to enhance the long-term resilience of both public and private sector systems.

The consultation identifies several persistent challenges within Europe’s open source landscape. While many influential projects originate in the EU, the substantial economic value derived from their use is often captured elsewhere. Key barriers hindering a stronger European position include rigid public procurement processes, difficulties in accessing sufficient investment capital, and a lack of scalable, locally controlled hosting infrastructure. These factors impede the growth of open source companies and the sustainability of projects. The Commission also highlights the precarious maintenance of widely used components, especially when reliant on a small group of under-resourced volunteers.

The scope of the forthcoming strategy is broad, building upon previous Commission actions, including its internal open source program for 2020-2023. It will explore next steps across interconnected technological domains vital to the digital ecosystem. These priority areas encompass internet technologies, cloud and edge computing, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity tools, alongside open hardware, industrial software, and connected devices. The call for evidence explicitly invites perspectives on sustainable governance models and business approaches that can support the long-term health and widespread adoption of open source solutions.

Cybersecurity and software supply chain integrity are recurring themes throughout the consultation. The Commission points to risks associated with critical systems depending on components developed or maintained beyond EU borders, where limited maintenance capacity and ambiguous governance can undermine reliability and security. While open source software inherently supports transparency and security inspection, aiding in vulnerability identification, the Commission seeks evidence on current barriers to secure adoption. It also requests examples of best practices that lead to more robust security outcomes for organizations across Europe.

(Source: HelpNet Security)