Open source software could be the EU's secret weapon

Pursuing a devoted open source industrial coverage will assist the EU speed up the digital transformation of European business, suggests a brand new report revealed by the European Commission.

The research was carried out by Fraunhofer ISI and OpenDiscussion board Europe (OFE), to analyze the financial influence of open source software (OSS) and {hardware} on the EU’s economic system.

It estimates that OSS already contributes between €65 to €95 billion to the EU’s GDP, which in accordance with the OFE is the equal of each air and water transport mixed.

“Open source offers a greenfield advantage for policymakers and Europe has the chance to lead,” famous Sachiko Muto, the OFE’s CEO.

Open source for the win

The report notes that EU governments and corporations have already invested over €1 billion in open source improvement in 2018 alone, even because it identifies the strengths, weaknesses, alternatives and challenges of OSS in essential fields similar to cybersecurity, and synthetic intelligence (AI), amongst others.

The report goes on to supply sure suggestions to allow OSS to assist digitise the European business. One of the recommendations entails establishing a European community of governmental models devoted to accelerating the use of open applied sciences.

The report additionally suggests utilizing the Horizon Europe program with a complete finances of €95.5 billion for 2021-2027 to infuse capital into “open source support mechanisms and projects.”

“The data predicts that if open source contributions increased by 10% in the EU, they would generate an additional 0.4% to 0.6% (around €100 billion) to the bloc’s GDP,” notes OFE, which hopes the research equips policymakers with all the proof they should promote open source for the advantage of the EU.