Good morning from #brussels #euopensourceweek #EUOpenSourcePolicySummit, opening with an address from the executive vice president of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and democracy (The EU's digital minister), Henna Virkkunen
The first in person speaker today is Dirk Schrรถdter, Minister of Digitalisation of #schleswigholstein, which recently completed a transition to #OpenSource software!
Telling us: "Sovereignty today depends on the ability to understand, control & develop digital infrastructure. When the government doesn't control the software its IT systems rely on, it loses control of the ability to govern". "It cannot be right that we export public money and import foreign dependency"
What a start ๐ฅ
Moving on now to a panel bringing together politicians and business leaders. Member of the European Parliament, Aura Salla opens with a bombshell: (paraphrased): "If the US threw a kill switch our public authorities would collapse within the hour". ๐ฑ๐ฑ
