How FR and DE are developing their digital sovereignty
Session Abstract
A few months ago, France and Germany decided to pool their resources to jointly develop sovereign digital applications for their respective administrative workplaces, based on common open source modules. Here’s a look back and forward at this dynamic project, which is set to expand across Europe in the coming months.
Session Description
This joint talk will explore the collaborative development of open source-based digital workspace solutions to reduce dependencies of the European public sector on individual tech providers. We will discuss two initiatives: openDesk, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and developed by the Centre for Digital Sovereignty (ZenDiS), and La Suite numérique, led by the French Interministerial Digital Directorate (DINUM). We will explore the technical, governance and policy aspects of these joint initiatives, highlighting how a modular, standards-based framework can enable rapid development, flexibility for national adaptation and long-term sustainability. We will share lessons learned from the Franco-German collaboration, and the potential for expanding this model into a broader pan-European initiative. The session will conclude with a Q&A session to answer questions from the audience on the practical implementation and scaling of open-source workspace solutions for European public administrations.
