Open Future’s response to the call for evidence for the Open Digital Ecosystems Strategy

On 3 February, we submitted our response to the European Commission’s call for evidence on the Open Digital Ecosystems Strategy. In our submission, we argue that achieving digital sovereignty requires sustained support for Digital Commons.

A thriving open source ecosystem is the most credible path to building digital sovereignty, grounded in the values of democracy, human dignity, and the rule of law. At the same time, we argue that open source technologies should be understood not merely as software products, but as digital commons—shared resources collectively created, maintained, and governed by communities. This framing shifts the focus from isolated technological artefacts to the social, institutional, and financial conditions necessary to sustain them over time.

Our recommendations focus on four key areas:

1.  Reforming funding frameworks to support lifecycle sustainability.
2. Strategic funding to scale viable alternatives.
3. Establishing an EU-level instrument sustain critical open source infrastructure.
4. Leveraging public procurement as a strategic lever.

We also highlight priority areas where open digital ecosystems are particularly strategic: critical software dependencies, cloud infrastructure, interoperable communication platforms that support democratic public discourse, and a holistic public AI approach that includes sustained support for European open source AI models.

Digital Commons present an alternative paradigm for digital sovereignty, rooted in building viable alternatives to extractive platform models. This call for evidence offers an opportunity to anchor this approach in the EU’s long-term digital strategy.