OpenForum Europe

Does the EU need a New European Standardisation Organisation?
2025-05-21 16:30 - 19:15 (Europe/Brussels) | Avenue des Arts 56, 1000 Brussels, Avenue des Arts 56, Brussels, 1000, Belgium
Europe’s legislative landscape is shifting through regulations like the Cyber Resilience Act, the AI Act, and the Data Act, which increasingly impact software. As software development increasingly relies on open source and agile methodologies, existing standardisation bodies face difficulties adapting their processes to meet these needs. This event will explore whether the European Standardisation System can adapt or if a new entity is required to address the specific needs of IT standardisation.
Is there a need to establish a new European Standards Organisation (ESO) to handle the increasingly software-driven nature of IT standardisation and legal requirements from EU software legislation? While historically successful, current structures and processes of the existing ESOs are seen by many in the IT and open source communities as ill-suited for the fast-evolving demands of software. This roundtable will bring together a broad range of participants from industry, policy, and the open technology community to openly discuss challenges in IT standardisation and the need for a new ESO and the potential requirements for such an organisation.

Where? Avenue des Arts 56, DaVinci room
When? 16:30 – 19:15

Open Source and the European Union | Poland | OFE Capital Series
2025-06-11 12:00 - 18:00 | Belvedere Restaurant, Agrykola 1, Warsaw, 00-460, Poland
Sign up now to join OpenForum Europe and partners for the next edition of the Capital Series events, taking place in Warsaw on 11 June 2025 under the auspices of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Marking the sixth instalment of our cyclical events, Capital Series Poland will bring Brussels-level discussions of open source policy directly to Warsaw under the title “Open Source and the European Union”. This will provide a unique opportunity for the local open source community to directly engage with EU and national policymakers to better understand policies that impact the Polish market, and how Poland leverages open source to solve its political challenges. The discussions will cover digitalisation, cybersecurity, AI, skills, and digital sovereignty in the context of the Polish Presidency of the Council.
Capital Series events are single-day, high-level policy gatherings dedicated to advancing open source policy priorities in alignment with the objectives of the member states holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Series builds on the OFE’s annual EU Open Source Policy Summit in Brussels to further connect the dots between the EU and national policy cycles.

Where?
Restaurant Belvedere Nowa Oranżeria, Agrykola 1, 00-460 Warszawa, Poland
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Also, don’t miss the European Open Source Business Association APELL’s Ideas Conference the day before, also in Warsaw.

Solving the Standardisation Dilemma
2025-10-22 16:30 - 18:30
Europe’s digital policy agenda is expanding rapidly, with legislative initiatives such as the Cyber Resilience Act and the AI Act placing new and urgent demands on the production of harmonised standards. A central dilemma is emerging: how can the European Standardisation System (ESS) move fast enough to meet policy and market needs, while ensuring inclusive processes that reflect diverse expertise and interests?
A structural driver of the demand for reform is the shift to a software-defined world. The ESS was built around the needs of hardware development, but today’s standards increasingly concern software systems that evolve through agile and iterative processes. Standardisation bodies are struggling to keep pace, raising questions about whether the system can adapt—or whether a new approach is needed.
This roundtable will explore how openness, as practised in collaborative innovation models such as open source development, can offer a pathway through this dilemma. By embracing openness in governance and process—transparency, inclusiveness, and modular iteration—the ESS can become more responsive without sacrificing legitimacy. This is not only a matter of technical process but of strategic significance: Europe’s ability to shape global technology standards, maintain digital sovereignty, and remain competitive depends on it.
The event will bring together policymakers, industry experts, and the broader technology community to examine how openness can help align the ESS with the demands of a software-driven economy and a rapidly evolving political landscape. The event is held under Chatham House Rule.
Where? Maison de la Poste, Rue Picard 7, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
When? 22 October 2025, 16:30 – 18:30, followed by networking drinks with the Code & Compliance participants.

Open Source and the European Union | Denmark | OFE Capital Series
2025-10-23 12:45 - 18:00 | Danish Parliament (Christiansborg) – Landstingssal, Folketinget Christiansborg, Copenhagen, 1218, Denmark
Sign up now to join OpenForum Europe and partners for the next edition of the Capital Series events, taking place in Copenhagen on 23 October 2025.
Marking the seventh instalment of our cyclical events, Capital Series Denmark will bring Brussels-level discussions of open source policy directly to Copenhagen. This event will provide a unique opportunity for the local open source community to directly engage with EU and national policymakers to better understand policies that impact the Danish market.
Capital Series events are single-day, high-level policy gatherings dedicated to advancing open source policy priorities in alignment with the objectives of the member states holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Series builds on the OFE’s annual EU Open Source Policy Summit in Brussels to further connect the dots between the EU and national policy cycles.
Where?
Folketinget Christiansborg, Landstingssal, 1218, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Due to limited venue capacity, we encourage you to register at your earliest convenience.

OpenForum Academy Symposium 2025
2025-11-18 - 2025-11-19
The OpenForum Academy (OFA) Symposium is the only academic conference covering questions relating to the social, political and economic impact of Open Source and Open Technologies. Each year, the OFA Symposium brings together an interdisciplinary set of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world to explore the transformative power and societal value of different ‘fields of open’ for society writ large, enabling the linkage of research agendas and growth of the research community in this space.
The OFA Symposium 2025 will take place on 18-19 November in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It will expand the scope of the OFA Symposium to focus not just on Open Source more narrowly, but to more fully embrace and highlight the diverse range of open technologies contributing to and impacting society, politics, and the economy. Save the date in your calendars and stay tuned for more information in the coming months. We look forward to another year of researching and showcasing the impact of Open Source and Open Technologies with the OFA community!

EU Open Source Policy Summit
2026-01-30
Europe is confronting fundamental questions about its digital sovereignty — a concept that now encapsulates the full range of its strategic challenges: competitiveness, market concentration and dependency, and systemic resilience. The 2026 edition of the EU Open Source Policy Summit will bring together leaders from the public and private sectors to focus on one clear proposition: open source delivers digital sovereignty.
