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Die FSFE fordert von der EU-Kommission eine nachhaltige Finanzierung Freier Software

Die FSFE fordert von der EU-Kommission eine nachhaltige Finanzierung Freier Software

Nach der aktuellen Kürzung der NGI-Finanzierung um 27 Millionen Euro reagiert die Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) auf die wachsende Besorgnis und nimmt an einer öffentlichen Konsultation der Europäischen Kommission teil. Die FSFE betont die dringende Notwendigkeit einer nachhaltigen und langfristigen finanziellen Unterstützung für Freie Software, um die technologische Unabhängigkeit Europas zu gewährleisten.

Die jüngste Kürzung der Mittel für die Initiative "Next Generation Internet" um 27 Mio. € hat die Fragilität der finanziellen Unterstützung für die Softwarefreiheit insgesamt aufgezeigt und ein kritisches Problem deutlich gemacht: Europa braucht eine nachhaltige, sichere und zweckgebundene Finanzierung, um seine Kontrolle über die Technologie durch Freie Software zu gewährleisten. Ein Großteil der digitalen Infrastruktur Europas ist auf diese Projekte angewiesen, um technologisch unabhängig und widerstandsfähig zu werden. Die Kürzung oder Streichung von Mitteln gefährdet die technologische Autonomie Europas.

Als Reaktion auf die unklare Haltung der Europäischen Kommission zur zukünftigen Finanzierung hat die FSFE an der öffentlichen Konsultation teilgenommen und sich dafür eingesetzt, dass Freie Software-Lösungen die notwendige langfristige Finanzierung erhalten. Dies ist der einzige Weg, um die Digitalisierung Europas erfolgreich voranzutreiben.

"Die digitale Strategie der EU kann nur dann ihr volles Potential erreichen, wenn sie sich systematisch auf Freie Software konzentriert", betont Alexander Sander, leitender Politikberater der FSFE. "Wir fordern, dass die öffentlichen Gelder effizient eingesetzt werden. Software-Freiheit muss konsequent mit nachhaltigen und langfristigen Mitteln unterstützt werden. Denn wenn es öffentliches Geld ist, muss es auch öffentlicher Code sein!".

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Bring Back Free Software Funding: Give Your Feedback to the European Commission

Bring Back Free Software Funding: Give Your Feedback to the European Commission

The European Commission has cut important funds for Free Software. The non-transparent decision shows the need for sustainable long-term funding to allow the EU to control its own technology. Raise your voice and take part in an ongoing consultation to ask for sustainable long-term funds for software freedom. We explain why and how.

Why should we care?

A few weeks ago the European Commission made the decision to stop funding the Next Generation Internet initiative (NGI) in its then current draft for the Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme. This decision results in a loss of €27 million for software freedom. Since 2018, the European Commission has supported the Free Software ecosystem through NGI, that provided funding and technical assistance to Free Software projects. This decision unfortunately exposes a larger issue: that software freedom in the EU needs more stable, long-term financial support. The ease with which this funding was excluded from the Work Programme underlines this need.

Now you can ask for these funds and criticise the Commission's decision, by taking part in the ongoing consultation on the Digital Europe Programme. As the Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative proved, public funding enables projects to innovate and promote a more open, independent, and accessible internet. Cutting funding for Free Software threatens to undermine this progress and push Europe away from policies that ensure people’s control over their own technology. That is why we demand that the €27 million for 2025 be brought back as well as demanding secured, sustainable long-term funding for Free Software.

By participating in this consultation, which closes on 20 September (midnight Brussels time) you can help to advocate for a digital future that puts users in control of technology. Your input makes a difference.

How to Take Action

  1. Participating is simple and it doesn’t take too long . Just visit the consultation page and create an account. You only need a valid e-mail address. This step is quick and easy.
  2. Complete the survey: After signing up, you’ll be redirected to the survey. The process is relatively quick (~20 minutes) depending on which questions you consider most important and the level of detail. If you're unsure how to answer certain questions, you can skip those that aren't mandatory or draw inspiration from our answers. The key is to ensure that some of the arguments outlined below are included in the blank spaces.

And that’s all :)

Ideas and key points to consider while submitting the consultation:

  • Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives, and it is important that this technology empowers rather than restricts us. It gives everybody the rights to use, understand, adapt, and share software. In order to establish trustworthy systems, users must ensure they have full control over the software and the computer systems they are using. However, among the biggest challenges we still face today are vendor lock in and a lack of interoperability. This issue is particularly prevalent in public bodies, which often heavily rely on proprietary, closed source software.
  • We strongly advise prioritising the use and distribution of Free Software as well as providing financial support to relevant projects and the Free Software ecosystem. This support should be a sustainable long term fund for Software Freedom, focusing on independence, resilience, control, security, and sovereignty. A dedicated fund for Free Software would not only help governments to have better and more secure software, tailored to their needs, but also support the European IT market and the overall digital Europe.
  • The Digital Europe Programme can only unfold its full potential if it is systematically focusing on the support of Free Software solutions. Otherwise, it risks continuing creating new dependencies and future lock-ins. By going in the direction of Free Software first, the EU can assure that taxpayers' money is spent in the most efficient way, while fostering the collaborative ecosystem needed to achieve true interoperability in Europe. An open and interoperable digital public sector is critical for addressing the social, economic, and political challenges faced by democratic governments.

We’ve already participated. Now it’s your turn. Participating in the consultation with your own wording can be very valuable as it allows the European Commission to hear a diverse range of voices and perspectives, which strengthens our common argument for sustainable funding for Free Software while demonstrating that this demand comes from an engaged community. While you can use our answers as a reference, your own words will significantly bolster the case for why Free Software is essential for Europe’s digital future.

Let’s make sure the European Commission hears us loud and clear. Together, we can bring back the funds for Free Software and safeguard the future of an open, transparent, and democratic internet. If you successfully submit a response to the consultation, please let us know via email: contact@fsfe.org.

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KDE Slimbook Plasma VI: Linux-Notebook mit AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS

Slimbook ist auf Linux kompatible Systeme spezialisierter Hersteller aus Spanien. In Kooperation mit KDE erscheint nun das KDE Slimbook Plasma VI im KDE-Design und AMD-Hardware. 8 Zen-4-Kerne gepaart mit RDNA-3-iGPU und im Vergleich zum Vorgänger gesteigerter KI-Performance in Form des Ryzen 7 8845HS bilden das Herzstück.

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privacyIDEA in Version 3.10 erschienen

Gerade ist privacyIDEA 3.10 erschienen. Als wesentliche Neuerungen von privacyIDEA 3.10 gelten die Offline-Nutzung von WebAuthn sowie die Erweiterung der Authentifizierungsoptionen mit PUSH-Token.

Quelle

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Apple litigation +++ EU funding for Free Software +++ YH4F +++ ZOOOM project

Apple litigation +++ EU funding for Free Software +++ YH4F +++ ZOOOM project

September is here, along with our newsletter. We have continued advocating for a Free Software budget in Europe, following the European Commission's decision to stop NGI funding, and we are intervening in Apple's lawsuit against the European Commission. YH4F got a new sponsor and its 2024 edition is in the final stage, and the ZOOOM project ended.

Table of contents

Quote of the Month

“The lack of public funding for these important technologies has a negative impact not only on free software, but on the entire future of the internet."

FSFE statement about EC plans to cut funding on Free Software projects in Heise.de

Apple vs EU Commission: the FSFE intervenes to safeguard Free Software

The Free Software Foundation Europe is intervening in litigation brought by Apple against the European Commission before the Court of Justice of the European Union. Apple is seeking to avoid DMA obligations related to its App Store and the interoperability of its operating system. The FSFE aims to protect Free Software against monopolistic corporate control.

European Commission needs to come up with dedicated budget for Free Software solutions

After the recent news that funding for the Next Generation Internet initiative would be cut for the next phase of Horizon Europe, the European Commission has expressed vague support for Free Software. Unfortunately it is failing to provide concrete examples on how to do so. This has highlighted the fragility of funding for Software Freedom and the need for change in the long-term.

Spread your concern about Free Software funding

Are you also worried and concerned about the European Commission decision to cut the funding for Free Software projects?

Besides contacting European representatives, you can also write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper to make their readers aware of the importance of funding Free Software solutions with long term sustainable funding.

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YH4F countdown: Time for jury evaluation and new sponsor on board

The FSFE’s hacking competition for young Europeans successfully concluded its six-month programming period on 30 June, with the submission of the participants’ projects. Now, it's the jury's turn to evaluate the work of the participants. We are also happy to announce a new sponsor for the contest, OpenSSF.

Read more

Do you also want to contribute to this contest? We are looking for more sponsors! For more information get in contact with us via email.

ZOOOM project: Toolkit and training materials

The FSFE finished its work with the European Commission funded ZOOOM Initiative. The FSFE produced research and educational materials on Free Software legal issues, which contributed to a larger toolkit on Open Software, Data, and Hardware.

Although the project has officially ended, the ZOOOM toolkit and training materials can contribute to promote a healthier ecosystem where Free Software legal and licensing obligations are understood and followed in various digital industries.

Get involved: Why do you support Free Software? Send us your quote

We are updating our testimonials from our diverse community about why they support the FSFE and our mission. We would also love to hear from you! Send us, by the end of September, a short quote and a picture. Find all the testimonies here.

Conferences: check out the recordings from our talks

Did you miss #FrOSCon? Check out Johannes Näder's talk explaining approaches for better Free Software procurement. [DE]

Our volunteer Berharnd Reiter gave his own personal views in a talk encouraging voluntary payments for Free Software. [DE]

Last May Lucas Lasota and Niharika Singhal participated in DORS/CLUC in Zagreb. Their talks were live-streamed and we have uploaded them in our Peertube instance:

Contribute to our Newsletter

We would love to hear from you. If you have any thoughts, pictures, or news to share, please send them to us at newsletter@fsfe.org. You can also support us, contribute to our work, and join our community. We would like to thank our community and all the volunteers, supporters, and donors who make our work possible, with a special mention to our translators who make it possible for you to read this newsletter in your mother tongue.

Your editor, Ana

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Linux-News der Woche: Linux-Konsole für Retro Games

Nicht immer lässt sich zeitnah über jede Neuigkeit rund um das freie Betriebssystem berichten, manche Ereignisse sind es aber dennoch wert, Erwähnung zu finden. In dieser Zusammenfassung überblickt die Redaktion alle wichtigen Meldungen aus der Linux-Welt der vorangegangenen Woche.

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