SFSCON25 - Alexander Sander - Why Free Software needs secured long-term funding

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Discussions about digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, interoperability, strategic procurement and budgets show that we need a dedicated, secured long-term funding programme for Free Software in Europe. The EU has supported the Free Software ecosystem through funding schemes like NGI and several pilot projects in the last years. However, these funds can be easily removed, as we have seen in the NGI budget cut for Free Software in summer 2024. It is also piecework rather than a well thought-out long-term strategy to achieve clear goal. This exposes a larger issue: that software freedom in the EU needs more stable, secure long-term financial support. The presentation will discuss clear objectives for such a budget as well as the necessary steps to achieve them. Also I will analyse the current situation and present proposals for upcoming legislation.

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