Plone on the European Stage: Nine Plone Companies Contribute to EU Call for Evidence on Open Digital Ecosystems
Publish date February 6, 2026
Plone is back on the European radar.
In early 2026, nine Plone providers and representatives from institutions that use Plone jointly submitted formal contributions to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence for the upcoming “European Open Digital Ecosystems Strategy”—a strategic initiative that will shape EU digital policy, funding priorities, and investment frameworks for the next seven years.
This is a significant milestone for the Plone ecosystem.
What was the EU Call for Evidence about?
The Call for Evidence is the first step in the EU’s law- and policy-making process. Before drafting a strategy or legislation, the European Commission actively asks stakeholders to provide real-world input: what works, what doesn’t, and what Europe needs next.
This specific initiative, titled “Towards European Open Digital Ecosystems”, focuses on how open source can strengthen:
EU technological sovereignty
Cybersecurity and resilience
Independence from non-EU digital infrastructure
Sustainable European open-source businesses and communities
The resulting strategy will directly inform future EU funding programmes, procurement guidance, and policy measures, and will be published in 2026 .
Why did Plone companies submit input?
Because this is exactly where Plone belongs.
The Commission explicitly invited input from:
Open-source communities
Open-source companies
Foundations
Plone has more than 20 years of proven use in public administration, education, research, and healthcare—precisely the sectors the EU identifies as critical for sovereignty, long lifecycles, and trust.
By submitting formal feedback, Plone companies ensured that:
Plone is visible at EU policy level
Real operational experience (not just theory) informs the strategy
Mature, community-governed platforms are recognized—not just startups or single-vendor solutions
Each company contributed perspectives based on long-running public-sector deployments, highlighting both Plone’s strengths and the structural barriers open-source ecosystems still face in Europe.
What did the Plone ecosystem emphasize?
Across submissions, several shared themes emerged:
Mature open-source platforms need sustainability funding, not just short-term innovation grants
Procurement rules often disadvantage community-driven solutions, favouring market-share metrics and costly certifications
Open source enables long-term reuse, GDPR compliance, accessibility, transparency, and vendor independence
Plurality matters: Europe should avoid replacing dependence on a few US vendors with dependence on a single EU platform
Plone was positioned as a trustable, long-lifecycle, foundation-governed alternative, already proven at national and regional scale.
Why does this matter for Plone’s future?
Submitting a Call for Evidence is not symbolic—it is strategic positioning.
For the duration of the EU Open Digital Ecosystems Strategy:
Contributors are referenced as input providers
Their solutions are more likely to be considered in policy, funding, and procurement discussions
The ecosystem gains visibility as a European-level option, not just a niche CMS
In short: Plone is now part of the official conversation about Europe’s digital future.
A collective achievement
This submission was not driven by a single company or agenda. It was the result of coordination, shared values, and a belief that Plone deserves a seat at the table.
Nine companies stepped up—on short notice—to invest time and expertise for the long-term benefit of the ecosystem.
That is community strength in action.
What’s next?
The European Commission will now consolidate all feedback and publish the European Open Digital Ecosystems Strategy in 2026. While this phase is non-legislative, it lays the groundwork for:
Future funding instruments
Policy alignment
Potential legislation in areas such as cloud, AI, and digital infrastructure
Plone is no longer just reacting to these developments—we are helping shape them.
This is an important step. And it’s only the beginning.