Regulation & Governance· 2026Q1
How the European Union Fell Out of Love With Open‐Source Software
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
The European Commission diluted its 2004 open-source software provisions in its 2010 Interoperability Framework revision due to evolving technology streams, incumbent advocacy, and declining political support for open-source.
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Key points
- European Commission revised its 2004 Interoperability Framework in 2010, diluting open-source provisions.
- Policy change was driven by a combination of technology stream developments, incumbent advocacy, and declining political support.
- New policy coupled around business-model neutrality and licensing flexibility, replacing earlier pro-openness stance.
- Analysis uses an extended Multiple Streams Framework, drawing on annotated drafts and expert interviews.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
ABSTRACT This article explains why the European Commission diluted the 2004 European Interoperability Framework's provisions favoring open‐source software and open standards when it revised the framework in 2010. Using an extended Multiple Streams Framework with a technology stream, the study shows how pro‐openness policy entrepreneurs secured the 2004 provisions and why incumbent advocacy became more effective during revision. Drawing on annotated drafts and expert interviews, the study traces actors' lobbying strategies across the problem, politics, and policy streams and examines how technology‐stream developments altered the feasibility and political salience of competing solutions. The analysis shows how changing standards and licensing dynamics, incumbent advocacy, and declining political support for the earlier pro‐openness package enabled a new coupling around business‐model neutrality and licensing flexibility, diluting the 2004 provisions. Beyond the European case, the study informs debates on open‐source artificial intelligence and advances theory on institutional dynamics in regulatory governance.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Regulation & Governance, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Computer Science Applications
Computer Science ApplicationsComputer Science