Sebastian Raible

ALT Text: Auf der linken Seite eines Sharepics steht: APELL 2025 - Policy Advocacy and Contributions - APELL Events - EU Projects - Network of Partners - APELL is Growing - Supporting APELL: the Advisory Board Auf der rechten Seite des Sharepics ist ein Portraitfoto von Sebastian Raible, darunter steht „Sebastian Raible, Director EU Government Affairs“

🇪🇺 Bring mit uns zusammen Open-Source-Themen in die EU-Politik!

@sebastianraible.bsky.social vernetzt und vertritt die europäische Open-Source-Industrie in Brüssel mit unserem Dachverband APELL.

👉 Dafür brauchen wir Dich!

🚀 Werde Mitglied im Advisory Board! ➡️ apell.info#advisoryboard

#OpenSource

10-ish takeaways from the State of the Union address (September 2025) | Diego Naranjo Quick reflections on the speech by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the State of the Union address that she did on 10 September 2025

Here we go: 10 (ish) takeaways from the State of the Union address today by Ursula von der Leyen www.diegonaranjo.eu/10-ish-takea...

Collage of photos of Sebastian

Has it really been ten years that I came to #Brussels? Here's to all the things I learned, dear ones I lost, friends and encounters I made along the way. Here's to hope and determination that things can be changed for the better. #10years

On 20 September 2025, I will celebrate Software Freedom Day at Hackerspace Brussels. Join me for my presentation on Why we need Digital Sovereignty and where it comes from! #digitalsovereignty #techsovereignty #SoftwareFreedomDay #sfd #sfd2025

hsbxl.be/events/softw...

Possible End to End to End Encryption: Come Help - Bert Hubert tl;dr: The European Commission is honestly asking for experts to advise them on ways to institute “effective and lawful access to data for law enforcement”. If you are an expert, I urge you to apply t...

Attempts by law enforcement & governments to subvert end-to-end encryption are ongoing. The European Commission will spend a year thinking about their new "Roadmap for law enforcement access to data" & they are (genuinely) asking for people to join an expert group to help: berthub.eu/articles/pos...

🧵4/4 Finally, we ask @ec.europa.eu to
- use public procurement to buy 20% #OpenSource products and services now – and **100% Open Source by 2035**!

Learn more in detail by downloading our full submission! #CAIDA #Cloud #AI #SovereignTech #TechSovereignty #EU
apell.info/2025/07/07/1...

🧵3/4 We ask @ec.europa.eu to
- strengthen resilience and reliability of #DigitalInfrastructure with a European Sovereign Tech Fund
- realise *open* technological sovereignty through #OpenSource
…

🧵2/4 We ask the @ec.europa.eu to
- use open standards to facilitate cloud interoperability and switching
- look into anti-competitive bundling practices
- build institutional capacity by establishing #OpenSource Programme Offices #OSPO
…

Last week, the @ec.europa.eu's public consultation on the "AI Continent" initiative ended. It especially looks for input on the *Cloud and AI Development Act* foreseen for end of 2025. On behalf of the European #OpenSource businesses, we submitted input. 🧵1/4

🚨 the @ec.europa.eu is launching an Expert Group for a “Technology Roadmap on [breaking?] Encryption”. You can apply by 1/September!

ec.europa.eu/transparency...

Please consider sharing this in your circles! #encryption #eu

Actually, I realised I misunderstood the graphics – worth reading the article in full! ;) #eubudget #mff #digitaleurope #horizoneurope #budget

car turns right just before the exit with screeching tires, sign above says "not sure" for going straight, "APELL NGI0 Business Circle mentoring" to the right, "your project" on the car turning right.

Is your project funded under #NGI0Commons? Did you know you can get support from us in the form of business mentoring? Whether commercial ambitions or not: let us help you reach new audiences, grow your user base and strengthen your #OpenSource project's impact.

Contact ngi0 at apell dot info!

2/2 But also private companies have to think twice: do they want to continue investing into dependencies? #techsovereignty

The paper published by @netzpolitik.org shows: financing is a major issue for #OpenSource, but administrations need to invest anyways: Win 10 is ending, products get artificially more expensive because of AI features – public procurement is the primary lever for #Europe's sovereign tech #stack. 1/2

2/2 …Verträge werden künstlich teurer wegen neuer KI-Features. Darüber hinaus muss sich aber auch die Privatwirtschaft fragen, ob sie noch länger in Abhängigkeiten investieren will! #techsovereignty

Der Bericht, den @netzpolitik.org gerade veröffentlicht, zeigt: #Finanzierung ist Baustelle für #OpenSource. Öffentliche Mittelvergabe ist der erste Hebel in #Europa für souveränen Technologie- #Stack, denn Verwaltungen müssen ohnehin Windows 10 ablösen und… 1/2

Selfie of Sebastian in the conference room

Two days of conference on the Next Generation Internet, that is the NGI Forum 2025. I‘m glad to be here today for @apell.info and to host the panel discussion ”Open Infrastructure, Sovereign Future: Building Europe’s Digital capacity“! Join us online, starting in 30 min at 16:10! ngi.eu/ngi-forum25/

European Open Source Business Association: Danske Open Source Leverandører and Dutch Open Source Business Alliance join APELL - APELL Warsaw, 10 June 2025 – On the occasion of the APELL Conference 2025, the European Open Source Software Business Association announces two new full voting members. Joining are the newly founded Danish...

At today‘s APELL Conference in #Warsaw, we are happy to announce that two new #OpenSource business associations are joining us: Danske Open Source Leverandører, #DOSL, and the Dutch Open Source Business Alliance (#DOSBA).

Read our full announcement on the APELL website:

🧵14/14 You can find the Commission's announcement (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/eu-s...) for the International Digital Strategy on the Commission Website. The full communication (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/j...) and its annex can be downloaded as PDF.

🧵13/14 …on technology that is more sustainable, reliable, and secure, when they have access to public – and also **private funding**.

🧵12/14 The currently foreseen **budget of only € 10 Million seems way too small to carry the envisioned extension and broadening**. And as far as improving the access to finance goes, developers across the globe can best cooperate …

🧵11/14 In order to increase technological sovereignty, COM commits to **extending and broadening the Open Internet Stack**. While at it, Commission could also increase the portion of funding for Open Source technology that makes up more than 90% of the technology at the foundation of the Internet.

🧵10/14 Open Source is a successful effort because of global cooperation and international exchange. Technological sovereignty can be increased without further escalating international relations.

🧵9/14 Whether for communication infrastructure, emerging technologies, cybersecurity, interference and manipulation, or platforms, the Commission knows the EU is not alone and needs global cooperation and a rule-based global order. …

🧵8/14 The International Digital Strategy is an opportunity to export technology, democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights, too.

🧵7/14 …the **acceptance of a project increases** when Digital Public Infrastructure allows for democratic oversight and control.
Therefore, the Tech Business Offer is best established **with #OpenSource technology and #OpenGovernment policies in conjunction**.

🧵6/14 The development of the "integrated Tech Business Offer" as a joint effort of the EU and its Member States wants to deploy secure and trusted Digital Public Infrastructure.
However, successful examples like the India Stack project show that…

Digital Trade Agreements The EU is opening negotiations for new and modern agreements with Korea and with Singapore, to unlock new opportunities in this fast-growing trade.

🧵5/14 Commission understands it needs to diversify its partners in the digital field and shows off existing networks and partnerships.
Some partnerships really need fleshing out: the list of existing digital trade agreements (policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/help-exporte...) currently contains SG and KR.

🧵4/14 **technology providers that do not lock public authorities, governments, and businesses into new dependencies**, but provide for switching, and allow its users to build up their own capacities, and replace a provider if it is bought up!

🧵3/14 Dependencies need to be **reduced**, sovereignty needs to be **increased**. This can be done by **building up alternatives to the incumbent products and services**, but requires investments into infrastructure and the conclusion of contracts with…