Open Club

Main » Policy

EU IT ministers endorse open standards in tech procurements

European IT and telecom ministers called for the introduction of open standards and interoperability in government procurement of IT on Monday, sparking applause from the industry.

The ministers' statement, part of a broader declaration concerning Europe's digital agenda, comes as the European Commission tries to draw up a framework for how governments should in the future procure software that runs their online public services.

Public sector IT procurement represents a massive chunk of the overall IT market in Europe. Historically, only the largest software vendors have been considered by city, local, regional and national government departments. As a result, citizens are forced to use software programs compatible with those companies' offerings when performing administrative tasks such as submitting tax returns, renewing their ID cards or applying for a dog license online.

One part of the Commission, led by Commissioner Neelie Kroes, is pushing hard to open up the public procurement market, and to break the stranglehold of vendors of proprietary software, including Microsoft. Meanwhile, another part of the E.U. executive, responsible mainly for internal IT procurement, is busy drafting guidelines dubbed the European Interoperability Framework (EIF).

But advocates for open and interoperable computing claim that the EIF has been watered down due to intense lobbying by the proprietary software makers, to such an extent that the document will have no impact on the market.

The EIF is important because it will serve as a "metaframework" for all national guidelines on how public offices should purchase information and communication technology (ICT) services.

The declaration by ministers Monday should strengthen Kroes' hand, as she prepares to publish her game plan for Europe's digital agenda next month.

Government departments across the E.U. should "embed innovation and cost effectiveness into eGovernment through the systematic promotion of open standards and interoperable systems," the ministers said in their declaration.

Kroes welcomed the statement, describing it as "a milestone, a crucial building block for a truly European Digital Agenda."

"We do not seek to dictate the design and scale and direction of future ICT. But we are determined to create a new set of conditions for ICTs and the Internet ecosystem of the future," she said.

Trade groups were quick to praise the declaration too.

"Europe will be best served if it spends less time looking backwards on preserving the status quo and current business practice, and more time on encouraging new opportunity and innovation", said Graham Taylor, CEO of the Open Forum Europe (OFE) -- a trade group that ranks Google, IBM and Oracle among its members.

Cuba launches own Linux variant to counter U.S.

Cuba launched its own variant of the Linux computer operating system this week in the latest front of the communist island's battle against what it views as U.S. hegemony.

The Cuban variant, called Nova, was introduced at a Havana computer conference on "technological sovereignty" and is central to the Cuban government's desire to replace the Microsoft software running most of the island's computers.

The government views the use of Microsoft systems, developed by U.S.-based Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), as a potential threat because it says U.S. security agencies have access to Microsoft codes.

Also, the long-standing U.S. trade embargo against the island makes it difficult for Cubans to get Microsoft software legally and to update it.

"Getting greater control over the informatic process is an important issue," said Communications Minister Ramiro Valdes, who heads a commission pushing Cuba's migration to free software.

Cuba, which is 90 miles (144 km) from Florida, has been resisting U.S. domination in one form or another since Fidel Castro took over Cuba in a 1959 revolution.

Younger brother Raul Castro replaced the ailing 82-year-old leader last year, but the U.S.-Cuba conflict goes on, now in the world of software.

According to Hector Rodriguez, dean of the School of Free Software at Cuba's University of Information Sciences, about 20 percent of computers in Cuba, where computer sales to the public began only last year, are currently using Linux.

Nova is Cuba's own configuration of Linux and bundles various applications of the operating system.

Rodriguez said several government ministries and the Cuban university system have made the switch to Linux but there has been resistance from government companies concerned about its compatibility with their specialized applications.

"I would like to think that in five years our country will have more than 50 percent migrated (to Linux)," he said.

Unlike Microsoft, Linux is free and has open access that allows users to modify its code to fit their needs.

"Private software can have black holes and malicious codes that one doesn't know about," Rodriguez said. "That doesn't happen with free software."

Apart from security concerns, free software better suits Cuba's world view, he said.

"The free software movement is closer to the ideology of the Cuban people, above all for the independence and sovereignty." (Editing by Jeff Franks and Bill Trott)