Translated from the German original. Read the original in German.
On the train to Bremen for the Univention Summit, I had time to reflect.
Digital sovereignty is currently the dominant topic in the public sector. But one point is often oversimplified:
Simply using open-source software (OSS) does not amount to digital sovereignty.
Digital sovereignty only emerges when the funding, stability, security and quality of open source – and the will to shape it – are secured reliably and for the long term.
The public sector already uses open source across the board – in operating systems, databases, security components, specialist administrative applications and collaboration tools.
At the same time, we rely on this software being maintained, developed and secured “somewhere” by communities. Experts assume that, across all layers of the stack, OSS accounts for 30–50% of the public sector’s IT.
If the public sector uses open source, it must also help to stabilise open-source communities – financially, structurally and strategically.
Why?
-> At this scale of use, open source is critical digital infrastructure.
-> Without reliable funding, security, maintenance and dependency risks arise.
-> Those who fund it can help shape it.
-> Those who only consume and contribute nothing remain dependent on other people’s decisions.
Digital sovereignty does not come for free.
It comes from:
-> sustainable funding of OSS projects and communities,
-> actively shaping them rather than merely using them,
-> clear governance and accountability.
A key lever here is procurement law:
👉 Public tenders must explicitly provide for the funding, maintenance and further development of open-source software.
👉 Not as a donation, but as a legitimate part of delivering public services.
👉 Not short-term and project by project, but structurally and for the long haul.
This is not an end in itself. It is risk management, security provision and responsible stewardship of public money.
Anyone who wants to reduce digital dependencies has to invest where digital commons are created.
