"The FSFE had the most impactful intervention in the EU’s highest court”

Our headline quotes a European Commission enforcement officer during a court hearing in a key case where the FSFE is intervening against Apple. As explained below, strategic litigation is one of many actions FSFE takes to protect Free Software. Our goal is simple: empowering people to control technology.

Wherever policies, legislation and regulation are being shaped, in meetings, hearings and expert discussions, we are there to make sure that Free Software is not just mentioned, but truly understood and defended. To provide a glimpse of our achievements, just in 2024 and 2025:

• We held 20+ presentations, workshops, talks and panels in Europe and beyond;
• We had 10+ expert meetings with the European Commission, telecom regulators and other authorities;
• We submitted 9 legal and technical reports to policy makers;
• We launched the DMA interoperability survey to collect real-world experiences from software developers requesting interoperability from gatekeeper companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft.

This work is effective and far-reaching: some weeks ago, the FSFE represented the interests of Free Software developers during the Apple vs European Commission case hearing. This is a pivotal case involving the legality of interoperability. Apple is claiming that granting free-of-charge interoperability to developers infringes its “human rights”. We came to the EU’s highest court in Luxembourg to prove them wrong.

Imagine the scene in the courtroom: Apple with more than ten lawyers on one side, and on the other, alone, the FSFE’s lawyer, Dr. Martin Husovec, and me in the audience. With clear and deep expertise, he reminded the Court that innovation does not exempt a company from democratic regulation, and that Apple’s ecosystem is built not only by the company, but also by the developers and users who depend on interoperability and freedom to install software. After the hearing, representatives from the Commission, Parliament, industry and academia approached us to commend our intervention

However, travelling to meetings and conferences, enabling developers to participate in regulatory discussions, and preparing in-depth legal and technical reports require significant resources. These include practical costs such as travel and accommodation, as well as the time and expertise needed to carry out thorough research and analysis. Two days in Luxembourg exceed 2,000 euros in expenses for our team, and legal work of this scale easily surpasses 10,000 euros.

That is why we need your support! To continue defending Free Software and Device Neutrality where decisions are made.

Your support helps transform expert work into real political impact, and ensures that Free Software voices cannot be ignored. Together, we can secure a Europe where users truly control their devices.

Become a supporter now and contribute to fight for Free Software and Device Neutrality in Europe.

I want to become an FSFE Supporter!

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SFP#43: It is Youth Hacking 4 Freedom!

Have you heard about this wonderful programming competition for teenagers from all over Europe? Haven't you? Join us to find out everything you need to know about "Youth Hacking 4 Freedom"!

In our last episode for 2025, Alex and Bonnie talk about the FSFE's programming competition Youth Hacking 4 Freedom. They explain the competition, clarify eligibility requirements, describe what lies ahead for participating teenagers, and outline how FSFE supports them in overcoming challenges during the programming phase (which runs from 1 January to 30 June 2026). And of course, they give a sneak preview of the awards ceremony in Brussels for YH4F 2026!

Find out all about Youth Hacking 4 Freedom and how to participate in this unique competition.

The FSFE's youth work is an important part of our aim to safeguard the future of Free Software. You can support our work as a sponsor or with a donation.

Show notes

• Support our work for Free Software
• FSFE's programming competition: Youth Hacking 4 Freedom
• Registration for Youth Hacking 4 Freedom
• 2025 Youth Hacking 4 Freedom: winners unveiled!
• Fuel the next wave of tech talent with YH4F, the FSFE’s Free Software competition
• Stay up-to-date and join our Newsletter

We are happy to receive your feedback on the Software Freedom Podcast and especially on the transcript of the episode. Please, send us an email to: podcast@fsfe.org. If you liked this episode and want to support our continuous work for software freedom, please help us with a donation.

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The role of the Cyber Resilience Act for Free Software

While the implementation of the EU Cyber Resilience Act is currently underway, several questions remain open, especially regarding its implications for the Free Software landscape. The relationship between Free Software projects, potential stewards, and manufacturers hangs only partially defined, and official guidance will help.

The Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) sets out the requirements for the development of secure products with digital elements. The aim is to ensure that hardware and software products in the EU market are shipped with a guarantee to fix arising security vulnerabilities and to minimise them. To achieve this, manufacturers must take security seriously throughout the entire life cycle of a product. This enables users to consider cybersecurity when selecting and using products with digital elements. Ultimately, the products are to be labelled with CE marking, and the enforcement of conformity of products sold on the EU market must be checked by market surveillance authorities.

In this way, the CRA aims to strengthen the resilience of critical information systems and networks in the EU.

The implementation of the CRA is currently raising many questions for those affected and is leading to discussions and uncertainty. Through a workstream within the BSI project ‘Dialogue for Cybersecurity’, the Free Software Foundation Europe gained insights into the EU Cyber Resilience Act and its implications, which it used to contribute to the discussion process on its implementation. In doing so, we focused in particular on ambiguities in the area of respective roles and how these will interact in the future.

The core of the workstream was the preparation, implementation and evaluation of a stakeholder survey, that split in three different questionaries: potential Free Software stewards, one for Free Software projects, and manufacturers

To this end, we first identified potential stakeholders, so individual and groups, that were contacted and asked for their assessments of potentially open questions in connection with the CRA. We then user their responses to prepare the questionnaires and distributed them widely to potential stakeholders, involving various groups and stakeholders that are already working intensively on the CRA, and we evaluated the results accordingly. Afterwards we used the results of the stakeholder survey to develop a set of recommendations for the implementation of the CRA.

The time frame for responding to the questionnaires was two months and it was explicitly stated that not all questions had to be answered. This resulted in 345 responses, 83 of which completed the full questionnaire(s). The aim was quality, not quantity, and accordingly, familiarity with the CRA was crucial, not the mere number of participants with vague fears.

The results of the survey show that many stakeholders do not yet know exactly what role they will play in the CRA. The steward role in particular has so far not been clearly defined. Hence, the Commission’s guidance is expected to provide clarity here. It is also important not to overwhelm Free Software developers with regulations, but to allow them to continue their work – software development. Another important aspect is that manufacturers need legal certainty when integrating Free Software components into their products.

In order to implement the CRA, tools (e.g. for testing, reporting, and evidence management) are needed for all stakeholders, as well as financial support for potential stewards. This should simplify processes and make them practicable, enabling stakeholders to achieve greater cybersecurity without risking any loss of quality in the actual development process. The survey also revealed that respondents would like to see more standardisation in the requirements set by regulatory authorities.

Moreover, potential stewards in particular are wondering how they should deal with the possible costs they may face. This question is also relevant for manufacturers, who have no connection to these projects, as manufacturers tend not to want to fork projects. Therefore, a method must be found to provide funds and/or necessary resources to potential stewards. In this context, the question also arises of how to deal with the time dimension of CVE fixes without overburdening projects, and how to deal with projects that are no longer actively maintained.

And finally, another issue has also come up with regard to Article 25 and the certification of components. This problem area was only addressed marginally in the present questionnaire, but will play a decisive role in the coming months. The responses to the questionnaire suggest that this issue needs to be addressed in detail, as there is also a great deal of uncertainty in this area. For example, it arises questions about who can carry out attestation, how this can be done and how it will be financed.

The results of the workstream, in particular the survey, will be made available to the European Commission and market surveillance authorities in the further course of the process to ensure that the issues and problem areas are raised are addressed.

You can access the results of the survey here.

You can find the final report of the project here (PDF, only in German).

The results of the workstream were also presented at FrOSCon and Datenspuren.

During the project, we also invited experts to give presentations on the CRA and its current state:

• Maarten Aertsen, senior internet technologist at NLnet Labs
• fukami, OpenSSF

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Wrapping Up the Year With Free Software at the 39C3

Once again, the FSFE is heading to the Chaos Communication Congress! From 27 until the 30 December, we will be back in Hamburg as part of the Bits & Bäume assembly. Over 12.000 people will join us to participate in this community event, full of great talks, workshops and creatures from all over the world. Swing by, say hi, and warm up with some Free Software vibes!

As the Christmas markets wind down, the Hamburg Congress Center begins to transform. People arrive from all directions; spaceships and blinking lights appear; hackerspaces from across Europe start setting up their assemblies. Civil society groups gather to showcase their work and their hopes for the future, while art installations rise piece by piece. A low murmur fills the CCH, one that is growing louder and more vibrant by the minute: an unmistakable sign that the Chaos Communication Congress is coming back to life.

The 39th edition of this well-known event will once again take over Hamburg from December 27 to 30, filling the post-Christmas lull with creativity, tech, activism, and a whole lot of interesting people. This conference, organised by and for the community, brings together around 12,000 participants each year, people who do not want to miss the chance to be part of this utopic and ever-evolving event full of community, curiosity, and digital freedom. For four days, the CCH becomes a temporary city: a place where bold ideas are built overnight and where the boundaries of technology, art, and society are constantly being pushed and reimagined.

You will find the FSFE crew at the Bits & Bäume assembly with a booth with stickers and merchandise, as well as a full program presenting our 2048 vision: a future in which everyone has the right to remove and install any software on any of their devices, all public funding for software is dedicated exclusively to Free Software, regulatory frameworks actively encourage the use and development of Free Software, licensing and legal decisions are grounded in facts rather than fear, uncertainty, and doubt, and young people can tinker, experiment, and learn to code with Free Software as the default. Come by, meet us, and help us turn this vision into reality.

Of course, we will not be alone: plenty of other Bits & Bäume organisations will be right around us, bringing brilliant talks, fun workshops, and lively booths. And do not forget the hackerspaces and the official program! With so many exciting things happening around the clock for four full days, the real challenge will be choosing where to go next.

So, what to expect from the FSFE at 39C3? We are planning to have a dedicated FSFE contributors and volunteers meeting, “Ada & Zangemann” reading, hands-on workshops about REUSE and about running an organisation with Free Software, a deep dive into Device Neutrality and the Apple v. EU litigation, and of course we will be answering your questions about our Vision 2048 and current activities such as Youth Hacking 4 Freedom, which is open for registration and will start directly after the 39C3 is over.

But, most importantly bring your instruments and yourself to our booth for our daily 19:00h Free Software sing-along. So, stop by, warm up, say hello, and share some Free Software holiday cheer with us.

We are looking forward to seeing you at 39C3!

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SFP#42: Policy and EU: The answer for a digital sovereign future must be Free Software

Although 42 is the answer for everything we tried to get it into helping us to achieve digital sovereignty in the public infrastructure. However there is an answer out there: digital sovereignty is only possible by empowering people and, therefore public institutions, to control their technology and own infrastructure.

In this final episode of the Policy and EU Software Freedom Podcast for 2025 Alexander Sander and Bonnie Mehring talk about the revision of the EU’s public procurement rules. Together, they dive into the processes at the EU level and go through the current debates surrounding public procurement. They highlight the clear need for "Public Money? Public Code!" as an underlying concept in public procurement.

Find out all about how we can achieve a infrastructure that is controlled by the public institutions. And why Free Software is the only way to achieve this goal.

The FSFE's policy work is an important part of our aim to safeguard Free Software and help to further the implementation of "Public Money? Public Code!". You can support our work by donating.

Show notes

• Support our work for Free Software
• FSFE's programming competition: Youth Hacking 4 Freedom
• Registration for Youth Hacking 4 Freedom
• EU public procurement rules – revision
• Germany Stack: Only Free Software Enables Digital Sovereignty
• SFP#26: Policy and EU: the need of long-term funding and the NGI case
• Stay up-to-date and join our Newsletter
• The Linux Inlaws

We are happy to receive your feedback on the Software Freedom Podcast and especially on the transcript of the episode. Please, send us an email to: podcast@fsfe.org. If you liked this episode and want to support our continuous work for software freedom, please help us with a donation.

Support FSFE