From Brussels to the World: Open Source as a Global Asset
Members Newsletter – February 2026
Dear OSI supporters,
In late January, members of OSI staff and board members joined developers, policymakers, foundations, and civil society leaders in Brussels for FOSDEM 2026 and the series of policy and community events that surround it in what is now known as EU Open Source Week. Each year, FOSDEM offers a reminder of something fundamental to our mission: while open source communities may gather in particular places, the open source software licenses we steward are a shared global asset.
Much of the conversation this year focused on Europe’s evolving digital policy landscape, from security and compliance to sustainability and public infrastructure. The questions being worked through in Europe today may shape open source practice worldwide, underscoring the importance of continued open, participatory governance and international cooperation.
We’ve written more about OSI’s participation at FOSDEM, and the conversations we were part of throughout the week, in our recent blog post. I invite you to read it for additional context and detail.
As you’ll see throughout this newsletter, OSI’s work continues to be informed by engagement across regions and communities. Your ongoing support and interest helps us maintain a global perspective in complex times.
Warm regards,
Deborah Bryant
Interim Executive Director, OSI
News from the OSI
Open Source at the Heart of Europe’s (and the World’s) Digital Future
From Code & Compliance and the EU Open Source Academy Awards and Policy Summit, to multiple FOSDEM devrooms, the Open Source Initiative (OSI) engaged directly with the community throughout the week, convening conversations, contributing expertise, and reinforcing the importance of open governance in an increasingly regulated digital landscape.
Other highlights
- Europe’s Open Source Opportunity: our vision for the EU Open Digital Ecosystems strategy
- Ensuring the Long-Term Sustainability of ClearlyDefined: OSI and AboutCode Sign MoU
- OSI Joins OpenForum Europe and the Open Knowledge Foundation to Officially Launch Open Technology Research Initiative
- 2026 OSI Elections Update
- Open Source Software, Public Policy, and the Stakes of Getting It Right
Other news
News from OSI affiliates and partners
- CNCF: The Best of KubeCon + CloudNativeCon: Watch the video!
- Creative Commons: Building the Future in 2026
- Drupal Association: 25 years of Drupal: what I’ve learned
- Drupal Association: Funding Open Source for Digital Sovereignty
- Eclipse Foundation: From Code to Compliance at FOSDEM 2026
- Eclipse Foundation: Open Source Software Stewards and CRA Whitepaper
- Eclipse Foundation: The Eclipse Foundation and ECSO formalise cooperation through new Memorandum of Understanding
- European Open Source Academy: first edition of the EOSA Magazine
- Free Software Foundation Europe: A strong close to 2025 at 39C3; a promising start to 2026 thanks to your support
- Linux Foundation: 2026 Global Events Program, Advancing Open Source AI and Enabling Community-Based Innovation
- Matrix Foundation: Matrix is quietly becoming the chat layer for governments chasing digital sovereignty
- Mautic: Year in review 2025
- Mifos: 2025 Year in Review
- Mozilla Foundation: State of Mozilla 2025
- OpenForum Europe: OFE Appoints Laszlo Igneczi as Executive Director
- OpenForum Europe: EU’s Digital Sovereignty Depends On Investment In Open Source And Talent
- OpenForum Europe: Connecting Europe’s Open Source Community: EU Open Source Week 2026
- Open Future: Who Controls Europe’s AI Future?
- Open Future: Why Digital Public Infrastructures?
- OpenJS Foundation: Security Program Annual Report 2025
- OSTIF: 2025 Annual Report
- Open Technology Research: OTR Officially Launches to Strengthen Global Research Community
- Python Software Foundation: Introducing the PSF Community Partner Program
- PyTorch Foundation: 2025, A Year in Review and the Road Ahead
- Rust Foundation: How We Invested in Rust in 2025 — and What Comes Next
- Software Heritage: Software Heritage Activity Report: 2025
- Software Heritage: Takeaways: Software Heritage Symposium and Summit 2026
- TODO Group: 2025 End-of-Year Review
- Wikimedia Foundation: 25th Anniversary
Events
Upcoming events
- SCALE (March 5-8 – Pasadena)
- FOSS Backstage (March 16-17- Berlin)
- All Things AI (March 23-24 – Durham)
- OCX (April 21-23 – Brussels)
Check the top 50+ Open Source conferences of 2026 that the OSI is tracking, including events that intersect with AI, cloud, cybersecurity, and policy.
Thanks to our sponsors
New sponsors and renewals
- Automattic
- Red Hat
- MongoDB
- Eclipse Foundation
- See all sponsors
Interested in sponsoring, or partnering with, the OSI? Please see our Sponsorship Prospectus and our Annual Report. Please contact the OSI to find out more about how your company can promote open source development, communities and software.
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