On 16–17 September 2025, leaders from across the Open Source ecosystem gathered in Brussels for the third annual Open Source Congress (OSC), followed by the companion Stakeholder Day.
This convening continues a journey that began in Geneva in 2023 (hosted by the Linux Foundation) and Beijing in 2024 (hosted by the Open Atom Foundation). Each year, the Congress has provided an intimate forum for foundations and ecosystem leaders to exchange views on the global forces shaping open collaboration. The 2025 edition, hosted by the Eclipse Foundation, focused on gathering leadership from code-producing Open Source foundations and built on these pillars. It further broadened the conversation by joining with policymakers and industry for a second day event.
The meetings were conducted under Chatham House Rule to encourage open dialog, thus we provide a summary of discussions and topics without attribution. OSI is grateful to have been on hand to contribute to the program and thanks all who participated.
A global forum in a polarized world
The Congress opened with a reminder of how far Open Source has come — once operating quietly in the background, it now powers much of the global economy and has attracted the attention of policymakers. Against this backdrop, participants discussed how to sustain collaboration despite growing geopolitical tensions, development of new regulations, and debates over digital sovereignty.
A key theme was about sovereignty and collaboration. Policymakers are pursuing “sovereign” technology strategies, yet the group stressed that true resilience depends on global collaboration, not fragmentation. Education — especially for regulators unfamiliar with how open collaboration works — was emphasized as critical for avoiding counterproductive policies.
Security and trust at the core
Cybersecurity featured prominently, with discussion centering on how regulations like the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and global initiatives intersect with Open Source practices. Participants agreed that while Open Source communities have pioneered efficient and transparent security approaches, there is an urgent need to harmonize standards internationally.
Challenges include ensuring that new compliance demands do not overwhelm Open Source stewards, small projects and individual contributors. Ideas raised included tax incentives for companies contributing to Open Source, shared compliance frameworks, and stronger links between developers and policymakers to bridge gaps in understanding.
Sustainability: beyond funding
Sustainability was another recurring theme. Open Source adoption continues to soar, yet funding models lag behind the growing demands on maintainers and stewards. Participants noted that sustainability is not only about money — it also includes mentorship, institutional support, and maintaining a healthy pipeline of contributors, especially those early in their careers.
Discussions explored diverse approaches, from long-term support contracts and commercial services to public investment and tax incentives. Many emphasized the importance of pooling expertise and resources across foundations to avoid duplication and better demonstrate the value of Open Source to society.
Policy and representation
Policy discussions acknowledged both progress and ongoing challenges. The CRA has sparked significant engagement from the Open Source community, but questions remain about how to align future regulation with the realities of open development.
Foundations could provide trusted compliance and security attestations for projects. This not only helps projects and companies navigate regulatory requirements like the CRA, but could also provide a sustainable revenue stream to fund the work of foundations themselves.
The need for a common voice for Open Source in policy debates came up repeatedly. Building on earlier years, a proposal for a Secretariat for the Open Source Congress was advanced, envisioned as a coordinating body to support foundations in engaging with regulation and ensure Open Source perspectives are represented consistently using the annual Congress as a decision summit.
Stakeholders Day: expanding the conversation
On 17 September, industry and public sector leaders joined the conversation for Stakeholder Day. This broader forum focused on international collaboration, sustainability, security, and how to organize more effectively in policy and standards work. The dialogue underscored that governments and companies not only rely on Open Source, but also have a role to play in sustaining it — through funding, incentives, and meaningful upstream contributions.
Looking Ahead
From Geneva (2023) to Beijing (2024) to Brussels (2025), the Open Source Congress has matured into a unique platform for global dialogue. The 2025 gathering highlighted both the opportunities and pressures facing Open Source today. Open Source is now a global economic force with the opportunity and challenge to effectively engage globally wherever bringing a deep understanding of the open source ecosystem may inform effective development policy and standards, ultimately meeting foundations’ mission to bring the benefits of open source software to the public.
The clear takeaway: Open Source must act collectively to remain resilient, secure, and sustainable in an era when its importance has never been greater.
Source: opensource.org