The European Commission open source software strategy

Why it is worth attention: the document of October 21, 2020 (a strategy for 2020–2023) is not a statement of sympathy towards open source but an institutional commitment: to publish its own source code, contribute back to the projects it uses and set up an Open Source Programme Office for that purpose. The six principles it rests on read “think open, transform, share, contribute, secure, stay in control”.

What to take from it: the public money – public code argument stopped being an outside demand and became that institution's own rule. For any debate about openness in public administration it is a more usable reference than a petition, because it is a commitment whose delivery can be questioned.