DigitalSovereignty/EU
DRAFT Digital Sovereignty for the EU
WIP by lkocman any help is welcome
openSUSE supports the European Union’s vision of digital sovereignty while continuing to serve a global open source community.
Our goal is to ensure that openSUSE remains transparent, independent, and trustworthy, operating in alignment with European values while welcoming contributors and users from every part of the world.
The openSUSE community meets regularly at the annual openSUSE Conference, most often held in Nuremberg, Germany and previously also in Prague, Czechia and other European cities. These gatherings strengthen collaboration, transparency, and community decision-making.
Contributors and users can also connect with community members in person through SUSE’s offices across Europe, where openSUSE often hosts local meetups, workshops, and Hackweek activities.
This physical presence reinforces the project’s European roots while remaining open to participants worldwide.
Background and Context
The European Union defines digital sovereignty as the ability to independently develop, manage, and protect digital technologies, data, and infrastructure. This concept promotes:
- Openness and interoperability
- Data protection and privacy
- Security and resilience
- Reduced dependency on non-European providers
Key EU initiatives in this area include:
openSUSE, with its European origin and open governance, is well-positioned to contribute to these goals.
European Foundation
openSUSE has strong European roots. SUSE, the project’s founding sponsor, was established in Germany in 1992.
Much of openSUSE’s infrastructure and community leadership are based in the EU, which naturally aligns the project with GDPR, open collaboration, and public trust principles.
At the same time, openSUSE remains a global project, with mirrors, contributors, and users distributed worldwide. This combination provides both stability under EU legal frameworks and inclusivity for the broader international open source ecosystem.
Hosting and Data Residency
openSUSE infrastructure is distributed across several hosting providers and community-maintained servers. The following table summarizes where key services are currently hosted.
Details will be refined with data from the openSUSE Heroes team and the zones/opensuse_org/cname.js configuration.
| Service | Description | Hosted in EU | Hosted outside EU | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| build.opensuse.org | Open Build Service (OBS) | ✅ | Core infrastructure | |
| src.opensuse.org | Gitea | ✅ | Core infrastructure | |
| download.opensuse.org | Mirror redirection | ✅ | 🌍 | Uses global mirrors |
| wiki.opensuse.org | Wiki platform | ✅ | Hosted IN PRG1 under EU jurisdiction |
This table will be updated once verified with openSUSE Heroes and SUSE Legal.
Alignment with EU Digital Principles
openSUSE’s practices naturally align with the EU’s principles of digital responsibility and openness. The project supports:
- Openness and interoperability – open standards and open formats are core to openSUSE’s mission.
- Data protection and privacy – infrastructure hosted under GDPR-compliant jurisdictions.
- Transparency and accountability – open governance, public code, and community-driven decision-making.
- Sustainability and independence – long-term availability of open, auditable tools and distributions.
TODO Collaboration and Legal Review
Future work includes:
- Working with the SUSE Legal team to clarify legal responsibilities, intellectual property, and compliance.
- Aligning project policies with EU data protection and digital sovereignty frameworks.
- Documenting services relying on non-EU infrastructure and exploring alternative hosting options when possible.
References
- See our public reference of who uses us in Europe
- Czech Cyberladies chose openSUSE as the platform for their installation workshop, citing its ease of installation and strong European heritage.