Open letter calls for EU to use open source AI to strengthen European digital sovereignty

We have signed an open letter urging EU leaders to harness open source AI as a key enabler of Europe’s digital sovereignty. Coordinated by Mozilla and co-signed by over 40 organizations from the tech industry, the open source community, and civil society, the letter was published ahead of the Summit on European Digital Sovereignty.

The letter argues that open source technology is essential for Europe to build—not buy—its digital sovereignty. By investing in the full open source AI stack, Europe can reduce dependencies, boost innovation, and promote European values while maintaining strategic autonomy.

The signatories propose a five-point plan calling on EU leaders to:

1. Leverage public sector buying power to scale open source AI initiatives
2. Mobilize funding to develop and maintain an open source AI stack
3. Facilitate access to computing infrastructure for open source AI development
4. Unlock data for open source AI development while protecting rights
5. Build capacity in public and private sectors to leverage open source AI

This letter is a first step in a broader discussion that should continue and expand to include public AI and other critical aspects of Europe’s digital infrastructure. As we noted in our recent policy brief From Public Investment to Public Value, strategic public investment must bridge the gap between research, innovation, deployment, and maintenance—enabling public interest technologies to scale and thrive.

Strengthening the open source AI ecosystem through the five-point plan outlined in this letter will provide a foundation for Europe to build public AI capabilities that serve the common good. This also means that the developers of open source AI systems should see themselves as part of the public AI mission. By championing open source as a force multiplier, Europe can create a technological future that is open, trusted, and sovereign.

Read the letter