🇪🇺 Open Source Governance: Why European Control Matters for Digital Sovereignty
Open source is often seen as a symbol of freedom and technological independence.
But when the governance of these projects is primarily led by non-European entities, real risks emerge for Europe's digital sovereignty.
⚠️ Concrete examples of governance risks
- HashiCorp and the BSL license:
In 2023, HashiCorp changed the license of several of its flagship tools—including Terraform—to the Business Source License (BSL).
This unilateral decision severely limited commercial use and impacted many companies that relied on those tools. - Kubernetes and contributor concentration:
While Kubernetes is an open-source project under the CNCF, most contributions are dominated by US tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.
This centralization risks shifting the roadmap toward their commercial interests—potentially at odds with European needs.
🛡️ European initiatives for sovereign open source governance
- Germany’s Sovereign Tech Fund:
Launched in 2022, it supports open-source infrastructure projects critical to sovereignty, such as operating systems and communication protocols.
It’s a strong example of how public investment can strengthen independence. - European Union Public License (EUPL):
Developed by the European Commission, the EUPL ensures compatibility with EU copyright law while maintaining interoperability with other major open-source licenses.
✅ The need for European-led governance
To preserve technological autonomy, Europe must:
- Increase participation in key open source projects by encouraging European developer contributions.
- Fund and sustain strategic initiatives with dedicated EU-level resources.
- Standardize adoption of EU-compatible licenses such as the EUPL.
- Create and lead sovereign open source infrastructure with native European oversight.
Open source governance can no longer be an afterthought.
Europe needs to step up and ensure the technologies of tomorrow remain aligned with its values and interests.
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