Securing Digital Sovereignty: Europe’s Public Sector is Turning to Open Source

Source: Red Hat Blog

In the current geopolitical landscape, governments across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa face a fundamental question: how can they maintain the ability to operate and serve citizens regardless of global events? The predictability of global technological partnerships has given way to significant uncertainty, and public‑sector leaders can no longer ignore the dependencies inherent in closed, proprietary systems.

True sovereignty means having the choice and liberty to decide where applications run. Depending on data classification, a government may run unclassified services in a commercial cloud, restricted data in a security‑forward regional cloud, and highly sensitive workloads in a disconnected, on‑premise environment. Enterprise‑grade open source acts as a neutral foundation that delivers reliability and security across any infrastructure.

Innovation without isolation

A common misconception is that sovereignty requires isolation, leading to a “sovereignty tax” of reduced innovation and higher costs. Sovereignty must not limit innovation. Public‑sector agencies need the latest technological advancements—including AI and automation—to remain financially viable and deliver better citizen services.

Open source bridges this tension. It allows governments to participate in global innovation, leveraging the collective intelligence of millions of developers while maintaining local control. The source code remains with the customer, even if a vendor relationship changes, providing continuity and self‑reliance essential for critical public infrastructure.

Aligning with the European Open Digital Ecosystem

The importance of this open approach is now recognized at the highest policy levels. The European Commission’s recent European Open Digital Ecosystems call for evidence signals a major shift. The EU is explicitly exploring how to foster open, interoperable environments to prevent dependencies that have historically stifled European autonomy.

This initiative underscores that a sovereign digital future for Europe cannot be built on closed, restrictive silos. The public sector is demanding the “reversibility” and “interoperability” that are hallmarks of the open‑source model. Much of the upstream development for open‑source technologies already happens in Europe.

Red Hat is committed to empowering EU organizations to own their digital destiny and recently introduced Red Hat Confirmed Sovereign Support for the European Union. This offering delivers technical support provided exclusively by EU‑based residents, keeping operational knowledge strictly within jurisdictional borders.

Automation enables sovereignty

Sovereignty is also achieved through efficiency. By embracing automation, public‑sector organizations can reduce the risk of human error and modernize their environments to be as agile and transparent as any public cloud.

Automation frees scarce, skilled IT talent to focus on what truly matters: developing applications that provide citizen value. Managing hardware, storage, and operating systems is a necessary task, but the core mission of a government agency is fulfilled through the services it delivers.

A vision for an open future

The ideal state for EMEA is not a world of closed borders and fragmented technology, but one of intentional choice. Public‑sector leaders need to avoid paths that lead to vendor lock‑in and prioritize long‑term flexibility over short‑term convenience. Whether it is a Ministry of Defense operating from a core data center to the tactical edge, or a local municipality launching a smart‑city initiative, the goal is to provide technology that ensures continuous operation and independent innovation.

Digital sovereignty isn’t about building a fortress; it’s about building a foundation of autonomy—and that foundation is open.