Linux Foundation: 94% of European Firms Say Digital Sovereignty Matters
Digital sovereignty is now firmly part of European technology strategy, according to the 2026 State of Open Source in Europe report from the Linux Foundation. The study found that 94% of organizations consider it important, but 31% still lack a formal open source governance framework.
- 94% of European organizations say digital sovereignty is important, and 61% say it is very important.
- Organizations with advanced open source governance report a return of more than four times their investment, versus 3.6 times without formal governance.
- 94% use or test generative AI coding tools, and 31% still lack a formal open source governance framework.
- Organizations with private forks spend an average of 311 hours per release cycle patching 9.5 forks.
- European developers make up almost 40% of contributions to projects such as Kubernetes and OpenStack.
Sovereignty moves to the center of strategy
The Linux Foundation published the report at Open Source Summit Europe in Prague, working with LF Europe, LF Research and NeoNephos. It is the fifth annual edition. According to the report, 94% of organizations said digital sovereignty is important, and 61% described it as very important.
The findings also link governance to financial results. Organizations with advanced open source governance report an average return of more than four times their investment, compared with 3.6 times among organizations without formal governance.
The report argues that European organizations seeking more control over their technology supply chains need to go beyond simply consuming open source software. They should also take part in the open ecosystems that build and maintain it. European developers account for almost 40% of contributions to core infrastructure projects such as Kubernetes and OpenStack, according to the report.
Thierry Carrez, general manager of Linux Foundation Europe, said: "Europa ha comprendido de forma clara el mensaje sobre la soberanía digital. El siguiente paso es la participación". He added that open source lets organizations reduce dependence on a single vendor or country, but that consuming it alone does not give effective control over the technology.
AI tools, private forks and regulatory pressure
Generative AI is already widespread in the surveyed organizations. The report says 94% use or are testing generative AI coding tools. Of respondents, 76% said these tools increase the value they get from open source, and 48% have increased their open source use as a result.
Regulation is also shaping behavior: 63% of organizations have raised investment in open source dependency management in response to regulatory pressure.
The report also points to a maintenance burden. About 48% of organizations keep private forks of open source projects. Those that do spend an average of 311 hours per release cycle patching 9.5 forks, and 28% cannot track these costs.
- Governance gap: 31% of European organizations have no formal open source governance framework.
- Talent: 76% said open source participation improves engineering skills, and 53% said it helps attract and retain talent.
What the findings mean for European organizations
The report presents a gap between widespread adoption of open source and its strategic management. Organizations that formalize governance report stronger returns, and those that contribute to projects gain, in the report's account, both more autonomy and a stronger talent pipeline.
Hilary Carter, senior vice president of research at the Linux Foundation, tied the findings to policy. She noted that the 2026 Tech Sovereignty Package is expected to drive 2,000 million euros of investment in digital infrastructure. In her words, realizing that value requires more than adoption: it demands solid governance and active community participation.
The full 2026 State of Open Source in Europe report is available now. The Linux Foundation points organizations interested in joining Linux Foundation Europe to linuxfoundation.eu/en/join, and directs those who want to contribute to open source projects to its Open Source Guide.
