European Commission launches consultation on building open digital ecosystems in the EU

The European Commission has published a call for evidence for an upcoming initiative titled Towards European open digital ecosystems, inviting stakeholders to provide input ahead of a planned Communication to the European Parliament and the Council expected in the first quarter of 2026. The initiative is led jointly by the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT) and the Directorate-General for Digital Services.

Feedback period: 06 January 2026 – 03 February 2026  (midnight Brussels time)

The consultation is framed within the Commission’s wider political objective of strengthening European technological sovereignty, as highlighted in President Ursula von der Leyen’s political guidelines and the 2025 State of the Union address. According to the document, open-source technologies are seen as a strategic asset for competitiveness, cybersecurity, and resilience, particularly in light of the EU’s continued reliance on digital technologies and infrastructures developed outside the Union.

The Commission identifies structural challenges facing the European open-source ecosystem, including limited access to public procurement, growth capital, and hosting infrastructure, as well as strong market concentration and network effects favouring dominant global technology providers. While the EU hosts one of the world’s largest communities of open-source developers, much of the economic value generated by these projects is captured outside Europe.

The initiative aims to address these barriers by proposing policy and funding measures that support the full open-source lifecycle, from development and maintenance to deployment and market integration. Priority areas include internet technologies, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, open hardware, and industrial applications such as automotive and manufacturing. The Commission also points to the need for sustainable governance models and business structures to help open-source solutions scale beyond research and pilot stages.

Rather than introducing new legislation, the initiative will take the form of a non-legislative Commission communication. It is intended to complement existing and forthcoming regulatory measures, including the planned Cloud and AI Development Act, by focusing on coordination, investment, and ecosystem-building.

Stakeholders are invited to respond to a series of questions on the strengths and weaknesses of the EU open-source sector, the added value of open-source solutions for public and private actors, and concrete actions the EU could take to support adoption, sustainability, and competitiveness. The consultation is open for four weeks and targets open-source communities, public administrations, industry, academia, research institutions, and civil society.