Regulatory requirements for the European Public Digital Infrastructure Fund
Digital public space(s) are ecosystems that exist outside the control of commercial entities that extract value from users of these platforms. They provide fora for public and private exchanges, information access, and civic organization tools.
Our work explored different models for developing the infrastructure required to run digital public space(s). We made a call for a European Public Digital Infrastructure Fund (EPDIF) that could support the emergence and maintenance of such spaces by investing in creating and maintaining public digital infrastructures. Krzysztof Siewicz, an Open Future 2023 fellow, has looked into the regulatory requirements and potential challenges of establishing the EPDIF.
In the paper, Krzysztof investigates what type of initiatives the Fund should support to create a solid foundation for the operation of the digital public space(s). He also looks into existing funding sources and how they could be used to support public digital infrastructure. Krzysztof’s analysis demonstrates that the financing for the EPDIF could, in principle, be provided within the existing framework of public funding at the level of the EU and the member states.
Krzysztof’s work was supported by funding from Omidyar Network.
