Why Open Standards Power Compliance
Session Abstract
Free and open standards, and the open processes behind them, can lay the foundation for innovation, interoperability, and compliance across EU digital, environmental, and industrial policies. Drawing on the Linux Foundation’s State of Open Standards report, this talk explores their potential to strengthen regulation, trust, and competitiveness.
Session Description
In an increasingly digitalized Europe, legislation such as the Digital Markets Act, AI Act, and Cyber Resilience Act, depend on technology-neutral, interoperable frameworks to achieve their goals. Free and open standards, together with transparent and inclusive standardization processes, are emerging as essential tools for effective and accountable regulation.
Drawing on the Linux Foundation’s report, The State of Open Standards, Standardization and Patents in Organizations, this session explores how open standards are becoming a pillar of digital policy implementation. The research shows that nearly 80% of organizations view standardization as vital for compliance and strongly favor openly developed standards over proprietary or closed models.
We will examine three interconnected policy dimensions:
Why open standards matter for Europe and how they reduce dependency, enhance interoperability, improve quality, and advance strategic autonomy while supporting legislative aims such as transparency, data portability, and resilience.
What attributes drive trust and adoption: how openly published, consensus-based, and extensible standards strengthen compliance, innovation, and public confidence.
How policy can embed openness and the practical approaches for European institutions, standardization bodies, and industry to align around “free and open” standards as enabling infrastructure. This includes integrating open standards into procurement frameworks, certification schemes, and public-private partnerships.
The discussion will also consider the evolving role of standard-essential patents (SEPs) and the balance between openness, innovation, and fair intellectual property practice.
Attendees will leave with actionable insights on how to integrate open-standards thinking into policy design, regulatory compliance, and procurement strategy, turning evolving EU mandates into an opportunity for digital resilience and sustainable competitiveness.
