In 2023, Latvia joined the small group of European countries that place open source as the first choice when developing or procuring software for the public sector. Since Cabinet Regulation No. 367 came into force, it has spurred new open source initiatives while reducing lock-in and cutting costs. The impact of prioritising open source is already visible through initiatives launched as a result of the regulation. Earlier this year, Latvia established its National Artificial Intelligence Centre to strengthen the country’s efforts in AI research, innovation and funding. The centre plans to release its reference implementation under an open source licence and host a Latvian-language open source model repository.
The main platform for digital public services and public information, the Portal of State Administration Services, publishes its user authentication method on GitHub and relies on Drupal open source components. Likewise, the Latvian language technology platform Hugo.lv, which provides language services for the public sector, has released its source code on GitHub. Rolands Strazdiņš, Chair of the Latvian Open Source Association (LATA), points out the economic benefits of open source adoption.
“Individually developed solutions no longer create hidden licensing costs, and there is now a clear distinction between commercial software products and open source custom developments,” he says.
Laying the Groundwork
The roots of the regulation stretch back to 2002, when Latvia adopted the State Harmonising System Law (SISL). The law allows the Cabinet of Ministers to set uniform security and technical standards for state information systems, which Regulation No. 367 now builds upon.
“The new regulation [No. 367] is not a solution to all problems, but it has laid the foundation for structuring the public administration information system environment, reduced vendor lock-in risks, and provided a clear legal basis for requiring open source technologies in public procurement,” says Rolands Strazdiņš.
The regulation has shaped the implementation of Latvia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (2021), which allocates €129 million for public administration digitalisation by the end of next year. Earlier this year, the European Commission recognised Regulation No. 367 as a reform that advances digital transformation in Latvia’s public sector. As a result, prioritising open source software has become a criterion for investment, directing funding towards open source solutions.
One of Europe’s More Ambitious Approaches
In recent years, several EU countries have begun promoting open source solutions at the national level, with varying degrees of ambition. France’s Digital Republic Law of 2016 encourages the use of open source technologies and open formats in public administrations, while Germany’s Federal E-Government Act (EGovG) requires federal authorities to prioritise open source software over proprietary solutions. Dutch legislation also requires the public sector to publish all code as open source, unless there are security concerns or other significant reasons not to.
In Latvia, Regulation 367 takes a comparable approach. Unless only proprietary alternatives exist, public bodies must justify the decision not to use open source, considering costs, technological suitability, and sustainability. These provisions have made open source the default option in the Latvian public sector.
Rolands Strazdiņš of LATA identifies several areas where Latvia could further develop its open source strategy.
“The next steps for Latvia are the creation of a public code repository, unified licensing rules, and the adaptation of unified documentation standards to ensure the reuse of public sector software code in Latvia and across the European Union,” he says.
You can read more about the current state of open source in Latvia in our recent country report here.
