About the OSEPA project
OSEPA project (www.osepa.eu) is a 3-year INTERREG IVC (www.i4c.eu) co-financed project, run by 12
partners from 11 European countries. The OSEPA project aims to trigger a systematic debate among
European Public Administrations supported by analysis and exchange of experience on the issue of
Free/Open Source Software. OSEPA promotes knowledge and fosters awareness on the main
benefits and disadvantages, cost evidence and effectiveness resulting from Free/Open Source
Software adoption and use by the public administrations.
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava, Czech Republic, March 28-29, 2012
The 2nd OSEPA Conference, “The potential of Open Source in European Public Administrations”, took
place in the city of Jihlava, Czech Republic, on March 28-29, 2012. Over a hundred participants
focused on the strategic impact of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) adoption by European Public
Administrations exploring the following three themes:
I.
Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) in European Public Administrations.
II.
Free/Open Source Software (FOSS): Legal and economic aspects in the EU context.
III.
Collaborating towards shared Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) solutions for trusted
and innovative public services.
The basic output of the conference is the “Open-Source
Policy Statement”. This document
presents the main advantages of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) for public administrations and
describes some proposed actions and policy recommendations for public administrations in order to
assess and adopt Free/Open Source Software (FOSS). Being a public resource based on non-rival use
rights and allowing for lower entry barriers in software development, Free/Open Source Software
(FOSS) offers public stakeholders a set of cost-effective, re-usable tools and resources that can give
impetus to innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth.
OSEPA consortium intends to influence relevant policy makers, particularly the European
Commission, in favour of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS). By endorsing the OSEPA Open Source
Policy Statement, you contribute to making Free/Open Source Software a recognized and viable
alternative of software procurement. Hence, you are invited to promote open source by singing the
Open-Source Policy Statement at: http://www.osepa.eu/index.php?em_cat=36&aid=126.
During the conference, emphasis was also given to a recent survey carried out for the OSEPA project.
The purpose of this survey was to assess the level of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) uptake and
identify the factors affecting its usage among the European Public Administrations. The majority of
the survey respondents (85,1%) from 19 EU countries are aware of Free/Open Source Software
(FOSS), a view which is higher (95%-97%) among IT staff and managers. Central government bodies
have a more positive experience with Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) than local or regional
authorities. However, according to the results of the survey, the majority of public administrations
(65%) has not adopted any official, FOSS-specific policy or strategy. The highest rate of Free/Open
Source Software (FOSS) policy adoption is to be found among central government organisations,
followed by regions or territorial associations and cities, municipalities and provinces.
OSEPA Events
The 7th OSEPA Workshop took place in Prague, Czech Republic, on March 26-27, 2012. The main
focus of the workshop was the migration of European Public Administrations to open source
technologies. In addition, two further activities took place under the framework of the OSEPA
project: a) the 8th OSEPA Workshop in Bistrita, Romania, on May 9-10, 2012, and b) a site visit in
Bologna, Italy, June 12, 2012, in which themes about the benefits of Free/Open Source Software
(FOSS) were discussed and experiences were exchanged among the partners of the OSEPA project
concerning the adoption of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) by European Public Administrations.
Project OSEPA – Achievements so far:
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Report on evidence of National FOSS Policies – Information regarding the use of Free/Open
Source Software (FOSS) from the public administrations in 10 European countries.
Report on Technical Efficiency Guidelines - Review of literature and studies regarding the
technical, social and organizational factors on Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) usage.
Report on Economic Foundation FOSS - Knowledge resources that can help public
administrations assess Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) solutions based on economic
efficiency and competitive advantages.
Guidelines for the procurement of FOSS – A concise guide on Free/Open Source Software
(FOSS) procurement for European Public Administrations to be used by elected representatives
and decision makers, IT managers and staff.
A Good Practice Guide (2nd version) – Guidelines, recommendations and lessons learned on
various aspects of Free/Open Source Software usage by public administrations.
OSEPA Policy Recommendation Paper (2nd version) – Policy recommendations on issues and
challenges pertaining to the use of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS).
1st version of the Policy Recommendation paper on Technical Standards – Recommendations
for technical standards relating to Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) usage.
OSEPA Survey – Assessment on the level of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) uptake and
identifications of the factors affecting its usage among European Public Administrations.
Expert Survey conclusions – Conclusions derived from a survey of Free/Open Source Software
(FOSS) experts on the needs and requirements of European Public Administrations.
1st European Conference (http://conferencia.osepa.eu/en), “Open Source Usage and Impact in
Public Administrations: towards a more efficient Europe”, December 1-2, 2010, Badajoz, Spain;
2nd European Conference (http://osepa.kr-vysocina.cz/), “The potential of Open Source in
European Public Administrations”, March 28-29, 2012, Jihlava, Czech Republic;
8 Interregional Workshops + 6 Study Visits + 4 Site Visits in more than 15 European cities and
with more than 350 participants.