Open Source and the European Union | Denmark | OFE Capital Series

• Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen, Member of the Danish Parliament, Chair of the Committee on Digitalisation and IT

Growing geopolitical tensions and Europe’s continued reliance on a few dominant global technology providers have brought renewed focus to the continent’s digital sovereignty agenda. At the EU level, a new policy framework is emerging through legislation such as the Data Act, AI Act, and Cyber Resilience Act, alongside the arrival of a new College of Commissioners and Parliament. At the same time, several Member States are stepping up their efforts in this area. Denmark, in particular, is beginning to take a leadership role—both nationally and locally—by adopting a more strategic approach to open source, recognising its potential to enhance autonomy, competitiveness, and resilience.

This panel will set the stage by examining the role of open source as a strategic asset for Europe and Denmark. It will explore the need to move from experimentation to structured, deployable solutions—building on initiatives such as NGI, the forthcoming Open Internet Stack, the EuroStack, and the EDIC on Digital Commons. What are the key challenges ahead, and what practical steps are needed to scale trusted, interoperable open technologies across sectors and borders? And critically, how can we ensure that open source remains a central pillar of Europe’s digital sovereignty strategy? The discussion will consider how to better align investment, policy, and governance to support open source as a foundation of Europe’s digital infrastructure.

Moderator

• Astor Nummelin Carlberg, Executive Director, OpenForum Europe

Speakers

• Lea Gimpel, Director of Policy at Digital Public Goods
• Peter Ganten, Chairman of the Board at OSBA
• Pierre Pezziardi, Special Advisor of the French Interministerial Director for Digital Affairs (DINUM) at French Government
• Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen, Chairman of the Digitalisation and IT Committee at the Danish Parliament. Member of the Folketing, The Green Left

Open source is a central feature of the global economy, playing a strategic role across various sectors, and the foundational infrastructure for our economies. As Europe advances its digital sovereignty agenda, this panel will explore the broader implications of open source technology in society and our economy, looking at diverse examples from sectors such as finance, industry, infrastructure, and government. Why have banks ramped up their open source involvement in recent years? What are the strategic drivers behind the German automotive industry’s recent memorandum of understanding to coordinate open source use? How do organisations use open source to strategically manage their dependencies? What are the implications when those components intersect with international politics?

Speakers

• Sara Gallian, Senior Manager Eclipse Software Defined Vehicle at Eclipse Foundation
• Signe Ravn-Højgaard, Director at Digital Infrastructure Think Tank
• Nina Müller, Business Project Manager at NextCloud
• Max Gahntz, AI Policy Lead at Mozilla

• Thibaut Kleiner, Director for Future Networks, DG Connect, European Commission

Open source is increasingly recognised as a strategic tool for achieving digital sovereignty and economic resilience. In Denmark, the key question is how to equip the public sector to have real choice in the market, which includes the capacity to adopt, maintain, and govern open source solutions effectively. This panel will examine what is still missing in terms of institutional capacity, digital competence, and organisational models such as OSPOs. It will reflect on the broader responsibilities of public institutions in the digital age: what are the 21st-century digital responsibilities of the public sector, and how should they be distributed between national and local levels? How can public administrations move from fragmented efforts to a coordinated strategy that positions open source as a foundation of Denmark’s digital future? The discussion will also consider whether administrations are prepared to take greater responsibility for core digital infrastructure, and how EU policy developments, including the Cyber Resilience Act, influence this shift.

Moderator

• Johan Linåker, Senior Researcher at RISE

Speakers

• Rasmus Frey, Director at OS2
• Peder Wiese, CTO at Agency for Governmental IT Services and President of Euritas
• Pia Færch, Head of Department for Digitisation at Local Government Denmark

As interest in open source grows within the Danish public sector and across Europe, the question arises: is the Danish open source business ecosystem ready to meet the demand? This panel will explore the current state of the Danish industry and its capacity to scale up delivery of secure, reliable, and standards-compliant digital solutions. It will also examine the broader strategic role of a Danish and European open source industry. Beyond the ability to supply services and software, does this industrial base contribute to societal resilience—particularly in the context of geopolitical uncertainty and the need for technological self-determination? Finally, the discussion will focus on identifying existing gaps and necessary interventions. What is needed in terms of public-sector demand, access to capital, and policy signals to enable a step-change in industrial capacity? Should this be addressed through targeted industrial policy, or can fine-tuning public procurement mechanisms be sufficient? The panel will include perspectives from Danish and European open source business associations to reflect on emerging challenges, share experiences, and discuss how to build a stronger, more strategic open source industry in Europe.

Moderator

• Alvaro Vilas, Policy Advisor, OpenForum Europe

Speakers

• Anders Møller Glümer, Regional Director Services – Nordics, Red Hat
• Morten Kjærsgaard, Chairman, Founder and CEO, Magenta & Chairman, DOSL
• Sidsel Jensen, Chairperson, Danish Engineering Association IT