Free and Open Source Software Across the EU 153 Free and Open Source Software Across the EU Gijs Hillenius(a) (a) Journalist, contributor to Joinup DOI: 10.5033/ifosslr.v5i2.90 Abstract Across the EU, there is a groundswe of pu& ic ad'inistrations that use open source for their I() so utions. E!idence of its benefits as we as practica e*a'p es are steadi y pi ing up at the European Co''ission's Open Source O&ser!atory. The areas where this t+pe of so ution can be found most inc ude, in rando' order$ content mana%e'ent ((.S/, document mana%e'ent (D.S/, data&ase app ications, a kinds of on ine e1%o!ernment ser!ices, geo-infor'ation s+ste's (2IS/ and in 'ost if not a pu& ic y pro!ided app ications bui t to use open data. Keywords 3u& ic ad'inistrations; European Union; Joinup; Free and Open Source Software Po icies; i'p e'entations. 6hen it co'es to free and open source software -FOSS/$ 'an+ pu& ic ad'inistrations wi ha!e stu'& ed across it. )hese da+s, their I) dea er te s the' that their proprietar+ s+ste' for 'ana%in% citi7en records wi function 8ust as we with the open source data&ase 'ana%e'ent s+ste' 3ost%res9 $ +et the su&scription fee is 'uch ower than when co'&ined with the pre!ious + re9uired proprietary a ternati!e.1 For others, switchin% to free and open source is increasin% + a conscious decision. )his is because cit+ ad'inistrations such as that of 2er'any's .unich, the Spanish cities :ara%o7a$ ;i &ao and ;ada8o7$ 3ortu%a 's <ieira do .inho, Den'ark's second- ar%est cit+ =rhus, the Dutch cit+ of Ede$ the towns of 2r+%o! and 5ih a!a in the (7ech >epu& ic$ the !i a%e of Ar es in the south of France$ 3o and's 3o7nan and Ita y's ;o o%na are grokkin% open source. )o encoura%e these c e!er pu& ic ad'inistrations, the past few +ears se!era EU 'e'ber states ha!e adopted aws and %uide ines %i!in% preferentia treat'ent to this t+pe of software. A ist of country's with the best po icies on free and open source 'ust be%in with France. It produced a thorou%h re!iew of the benefits of free software$ the so1ca ed ?A+rau t (ircu ar? which was adopted &+ the French %o!ern'ent in Septe'&er 2012. )he circu ar pro!ides a road'ap he pin% 'inistries create their free software strate%y. )he %uide ine ca'e to existence &+ !irtue of the Adu act networ0 of ci!i ser!ants in!o !ed in free software I) de!e op'ent and its 'an+$ 'an+ 1 https://8oinup.ec.europa.eu/co''unity/osor/news/dutch-town-switches1post%res9 1open-source1data&ase Internationa Free and Open Source Software Law >e!iew <ol. 5, Issue " 154 Free and open source software across the EU 'inistries a ready doin% a'a7in% y much with open source." It is thanks to a 9uestion &+ a 'e'ber of France's par ia'ent$ Isabe e Attard -Europe Eco o%+ 1 )he 2reens)$ that we are be%innin% to earn how nor'a open source has beco'e in France's 'inistries. 3 In May, MP Attard as0ed a ministries about their i'p e'entation of the Circu aire A+rau t. Policy Hitparade )his su''er$ the 37 'inistries and 'inisteria depart'ents ha!e s ow + be%un to respond. )heir answers ran%e fro' enthusiast to subdued and downri%ht a oof. One of the 'ore e ectrif+in% rep ies is &+ France's education 'inistry. It re!ea s that it has o!er 23,000 ser!ers &ased on U&untu @inu* that since 2001 are used in schoo s across the countr+ and used for networ0 and s+ste' securit+ as fi e ser!ers, &ac0up ser!ers, for <3C and for ser!in% app ications to thin c ients. )he 'inistr+ itse f has been usin% @inu* ?for o!er a decade?: its ser!ice depart'ents host o!er 4,000 >ed Dat @inu* ser!ers, and ?the OpenOffice and @ibreOffice office suites are wide + used by teachers as a too to work and share with students." Unruff ed, the .inistr+ of Econo'+ and Finance responds to Attard that it has been usin% open source for o!er a decade$ with @inu* now used for 'ost ser!ers and e'ai &ased entire + on open source. )his inc udes the use of these t+pes of so utions on wor0stations: ?;+ 2003, a wor0stations of the Genera Directorate of Custo's and E*cise mi%rated to a free office suite." )he 'ost distant is the .inistr+ of Defence E criticised ear ier this +ear &+ par ia'ent o!er its renewin% of a proprietar+ icence contract$ &+passin% pu& ic procure'entA. )he 'inistr+ curt + e*p ains Attard that it does not distin%uish proprietar+ software fro' free software in its accountin% s+ste's. Software purchases are inc uded in contracts that focus on de!e op'ent$ inte%ration or 'aintenance. )hat 'a0es it hard to e*c ude the purposes fro' the cost of the icences. )he assess'ent is co'p e*$ the 'inistr+ writes, as software is inc uded in so 'an+ e ectronic de!ices, inc uding phones, radios and e!en sate ites. Issues with Interoperability (ontender for first p ace on the ist is Spain. It has appea in% re%ion po icies, such as that adopted &+ the ;as9ue re%ion -see side &ar 'A EU directi!e for future benefits'/. ;ut$ nationa +$ it is the >o+a Decree 4/2010 on the Cationa e2o!ern'ent Interopera&i it+ Fra'ewor0 that is supportin% open document for'ats and that is e'bo denin% a growin% nu'ber of ad'inistrations. A %ood i ustration is the cit+ of Zara%o7a which is usin% the law to re'ind others that the go!ernment wants the' to use open for'ats.5 )he capita of the autono'ous co''unit+ of Ara%on has been usin% OpenOffice$ a suite of office producti!it+ too s, on a of the city's 3200 3(s since 2007. >ecent +$ :ara%o7a started to a so use @ibreOffice. As Eduardo >o'ero, the I) specia ist eadin% the des0top 'i%ration pro8ect for the cit+ ad'inistration, points out$ since both suites use the Open Document For'at$ there are no interopera&i it+ prob e's between the two. Such issues do arise when co''unicatin% with " https://8oinup.ec.europa.eu/co''unity/osor/news/'inistries1france1detai 1use1and-p ans1free1software 3 https://8oinup.ec.europa.eu/co''unity/osor/news/'inistries1france1detai 1use1and-p ans1free1software A h ttps://8oinup.ec.europa.eu/news/french-ad!ocac+1%roup1decries1defences1i%norin%1procure'ent1 aw 5 https://8oinup.ec.europa.eu/co''unity/osor/news/spains17ara%o7a1continues1%radua 1switch-open-soure Internationa Free and Open Source Software Law >e!iew <ol. 5, Issue " Free and Open Source Software Across the EU 155 or%anisations that do not support open for'ats, he sa+s. ?6e ha!e to re'ind these or%anisations that there is a very c ear law prescri&ing the use of open for'ats." A side effect of this is that :ara%o7a is pointin% others the way. ?6hen we be%an usin% OpenOffice we were one of the few?$ sa+s >o'ero. ?Cow$ there are 'an+ pu& ic ad'inistrations and co'panies that switched and we ha!e he ped quite a few to ta0e their first steps." An EU Directive for Future Benefits )he European Union shou d start workin% on a directi!e on openness and reuse of software app ications, sa+s SerafFn O co7 Gan%uas, a for'er chief infor'ation officer of ;as9ue (ountry. 2o!ern'ents that switch to free and open source software contri&ute to the econo'+ and i'pro!e producti!it+$ he ar%ues. ?It is a 'ore efficient &usiness 'ode than that of the proprietar+ software industry."H 2o!ern'ents usin% open source create future &enefits -(A3ita EIpenditures)$ as part of their O3erationa EIpenditure$ ar%ues O co7. ?It creates a !irtuous oop between the pu& ic and pri!ate sector$ with a recurrin% pu& ic contri&ution." O co7 aunched his proposa durin% the @i&re Software 6or d (onference$ which too0 p ace in Santia%o de (o'poste a on 18 and 19 October 2012. De wou d prefer the EU directi!e to be &ased on the decree proposed &+ the ;as9ue %o!ernment in Ju + and appro!ed as a po ic+ in Septe'ber that +ear. )hat aw sa+s that a software de!e oped for the go!ern'ent pu& ic y must be made a!ai a& e as open source. )hird co'es Ita +$ which 'ade open source the preferred choice in its Di%ita Ad'inistration (ode in 2012. Dow to co'pare inco'para& e open and c osed source I) so utions; that has been par0ed in a co''ittee that wi , du +$ ta0e its ti'e. In Ma+$ law+er Ernesto Be isario, professor at Uni!ersit+ of ;asi icata in the cit+ of 3otenza$ reported that the discussion in the workin% group is sta ing.