As we had predicted late last year, the push for digital sovereignty is starting strong in 2026. This is not something that has appeared out of thin air; the European Union seems to be finally understanding how vulnerable their digital infrastructure is if they continue relying on foreign providers.
While progress on this appears commendable, their Chat Control bill makes me doubt what they actually want to do going forward.
Anyhow, we now have news of a call for evidence on how to approach open source from the European Commission, and this is how they see the current situation:
Much of the value generated by open-source projects is exploited outside the EU, often benefiting tech giants. EU stakeholders generally struggle with high entry barriers and network effects of dominant players both in the public procurement market and in the private sector market.
Towards European Open Digital Ecosystems
That's what they are calling this new initiative (long read alert ⚠️), with the consultation running from January 6 through February 3, 2026. As for what it stands for, the commission is looking to tackle what it describes as a "significant problem of dependence on non-EU countries in the digital sphere."
They say that this dependence is hurting user choice, making EU companies less competitive, and creating supply chain security issues (for both software and hardware) that affect control over digital infrastructure.
The scope is massive too! Covering fields like cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, open hardware, internet technologies, and industrial applications like automotive and manufacturing.
The EU already has what it describes as "a very active and rich ecosystem of communities of open-source developers, among the largest worldwide."
If you are looking for the proof of that, well, you are probably reading this on a Linux-powered system that is what it is today due to the hard work of many Europeans (throwing no shade at people from other regions).
But there's a catch. European open source developers can't get funding once the research grants end, and they seem to keep hitting walls when trying to get their projects into public procurement or scale them up commercially.
Luckily, the proposal doesn't seem to be oblivious to the plight of open source developers and acknowledges this by stating:
However, it has emerged that supporting open-source communities solely through research and innovation programmes is not sufficient for successful upscaling and that it is critical to support emerging developer communities and businesses in scaling up via sustainable support and governance frameworks aiming for community upscaling, industrial deployment, market integration and commercial viability of open-source innovations.
In the end, the initiative intends to promote the development of high-quality, secure open source solutions while demonstrating their value. It aims to address the usability factor, deployment issues, software supply chain security, governance, and code maintenance so projects can move forward smoothly.
The proposal also calls for supporting new business models for open source companies and foundations, including through public-private partnerships. Plus, this is designed to work alongside the upcoming Cloud and AI Development Act, for which a separate consultation was already conducted.
Suggested Read 📖: Linux and Open Source Predictions 2026
Abhishek Prakash
