Our submission to the EU Call for Evidence on the “European Open Digital Ecosystem Strategy”

The European Commission has been asking for feedback from the 6th of January to the 3rd of February to shape its “European Open Digital Ecosystem Strategy”. In our submission we stress that it is important to understand that Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS)

• is the backbone of our digital infrastructure;
• is a global and collaborative phenomenon and that isolating it along geographic boundaries is counterproductive;
• has to be understood as a symbiotic ecosystem of diverse players (businesses, public administrations, foundations, academic institutions, and individual contributors) rather than “just” an economic sector/industry;
• has a variety of strategic and practical benefits over proprietary software solutions and should therefore be adopted widely by European institutions.

If you’re interested in the topic, we can also recommend you to read the submissions of the Free Software Foundation Europe and the OSI Europe Foundation.

The Internet Society (ISOC) Switzerland Chapter is a non-profit organization that engages on a variety of Internet-related topics, ensuring that it is a place of possibility, opportunity, and progress that benefits people worldwide. We provide technically-grounded advice, policy recommendations, and educational material regarding privacy, security, Free and Open-Source Software, and digital sovereignty. We also organize informative events and debates like the annual Public Policy Sessions and participate in collaborative research projects like the NGI0 Commons Fund.

As a national chapter of the international organization responsible for the .org domain, ISOC CH acts as a gateway between Switzerland and the international digital civil society.

You can consider becoming a member (through the main ISOC web site) following the instructions at https://isoc.ch/membership, or just subscribe to our newsletter (2-3 announcements per year) by sending a message to contact@isoc.ch.