Europe’s New Strategy For Open Source
The European Commission has kicked off a new initiative called the European Open Digital Ecosystem Strategy. In simple terms, it is asking experts, companies and open source communities to share ideas on how the European Union can lean harder into open source software.
This is more than just a policy paper. The Commission is openly saying it wants open source to be a key part of European technological sovereignty, security and competitiveness. That means less dependence on software from outside the EU, more control over digital infrastructure and more support for open technologies.
For anyone interested in PC gaming on Linux, SteamOS or custom open source setups, this is a big deal. When major governments back open tech, it tends to lead to more funding, more visibility and a healthier ecosystem for the tools gamers actually use.
The new strategy builds on an earlier Commission Open Source Software Strategy that ran from 2020 to 2023. That earlier plan aimed to:
- Create reusable digital solutions for government services.
- Get EU institutions to rely more on open source internally.
- Build a culture that prefers open tools and encourages their use beyond just the EU institutions.
To manage all this, the EU set up an Open Source Program Office to oversee projects and make sure open source is not just a buzzword but actually implemented.
Why This Matters For PC Gaming And Linux
The new call for evidence is more ambitious. The Commission openly admits that the EU has a big dependence on non European software and platforms. That dependence reduces choice for users, hurts European companies that might compete in those spaces and can introduce security problems when key infrastructure is controlled elsewhere.
So where does gaming come in? Open source software and standards are a huge part of the modern PC gaming stack even if you play on Windows. Drivers, game engines, Proton, Wine and large chunks of Linux gaming tools are all driven by open source communities.
Here is how this move could indirectly help PC gamers:
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More investment in Linux and open platforms
EU support for open source can mean grants, funded research and public sector deployments that use and improve Linux, kernel drivers and graphics stacks. That is the same underlying tech that powers SteamOS, Bazzite, Nobara and other gaming focused Linux distributions. -
Better hardware and open ecosystems
The EU has already backed open hardware like RISC V and related open software stacks. When hardware platforms are open, it becomes easier to port operating systems, drivers and game related tools without waiting on a single vendor. -
Healthier competition for platforms
If governments and institutions are happy to adopt open systems, that puts pressure on big tech vendors to support more open standards, provide better Linux support and avoid locking users into closed ecosystems.
The article specifically mentions the growing interest in Linux in the PC gaming industry. Valve’s push with SteamOS, Proton and the Steam Deck has already proven that Linux gaming is not just a hobbyist corner anymore. New handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go S are experimenting with SteamOS and other Linux based systems, which shows where the industry is slowly heading.
More public support for open source in Europe means these projects get more legitimacy and more potential contributors. When public sector and research organizations standardize on open platforms, they tend to help improve performance, compatibility and long term support for the software that gamers eventually rely on.
Open Standards, Privacy And The Future Of Digital Gaming
The push for open source is not just about operating systems and drivers. It also touches deeper issues like identity, age verification and online security, all of which are becoming more relevant to gamers.
The EU has already adopted an open source framework for age verification. That might sound far away from GPUs and frame rates, but it could shape how online games verify age or identity in future. Many countries are debating how to prove that players are adults without giving away their whole digital lives to a single company.
Open source and open standards matter a lot here. If we ever end up using digital IDs or proof systems to log into games or services, having the code open offers some big advantages:
- Transparency Anyone can examine the code to see what data is collected, what is stored and how it is protected.
- Security Open implementations of advanced systems like zero knowledge proofs can be audited by independent experts, which usually leads to more robust defenses over time.
- Choice An open ecosystem can support multiple providers and services instead of forcing everyone into one closed system. That can include more decentralized or blockchain like approaches if the industry goes that way.
Gamers already care about privacy and control, especially as more games require always online connections, personal data and account linking. A broader open source culture makes it easier to push back against opaque systems and demand better standards for security and transparency.
The European Commission also notes that simply funding open source through research programs is not enough anymore. It wants a broader, long term framework that supports communities and projects beyond one off grants. That kind of ongoing support is what helps maintain the low level libraries, drivers and tools that make modern PC gaming possible.
For PC gamers and hardware enthusiasts, this all adds up to a promising direction. More open source in government and infrastructure means more attention and resources going into the same foundations that power Linux gaming, handheld gaming PCs and alternative operating systems like SteamOS and Bazzite.
If you care about performance, choice of platform and long term control over your games and hardware, these moves from the EU are worth watching. They might not immediately translate into extra frames per second, but they help build the open ecosystem that lets companies like Valve and the Linux community keep pushing gaming forward.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/software/looks-like-the-eu-is-getting-serious-about-open-source-which-could-eventually-spell-good-news-for-linux-and-hopefully-gaming-distros/
