“Open source software will be promoted, especially by using it in public administrations.” For the first time, a Luxembourg government has included open source in its coalition agreement. The new government, sworn in on 5 December, sees open source as instrumental for government digitalisation.
Luxembourg will also strengthen the use of open data formats and open ICT standards.
Open source, open standards and open data are addressed in the first paragraph in the coalition agreement’s section on government digitalisation. The latter is seen as the way to reduce bureaucracy and increase efficiency, the coalition statement explains. “The digital decentralisation of public services and simplification must go hand in hand,” the new government writes. Content will be made available to all citizens, and eGovernment services will be easy to use and accessible to all.
The new government sees digitalisation as an opportunity for the country to distinguish itself with a proactive approach.
Open source is mentioned in the election programme of the Greens, one of the three parties in the new coalition. The Greens, who won three more seats in the parliament – taking them from six to nine – favour the use of open source in public services and education. The Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party, also in the coalition, who lost three seats – going from 13 to 10 – wants to make sure that software is improved so as to stop planned obscolence - the putting of artificial limits on products.