The official launch of the Digital Commons European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (DC EDIC) marks an important development for the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) and its funded projects. Announced in The Hague and welcomed by the European Commission, the initiative strengthens Europe’s capacity to develop open, interoperable and reusable digital solutions—key principles underpinning Digital Europe investments.
What is an EDIC?
Within the framework of the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030, the European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (EDIC) provides Member States with a mechanism to simplify and accelerate the development and implementation of multi-country projects, supporting the delivery of the Digital Decade’s overarching objectives and targets.
Relevance for Digital Europe Programme projects
Digital Europe Programme projects are designed to move beyond pilots and fragmented solutions, delivering scalable, cross-border digital infrastructures that can be reused by public administrations, businesses and citizens across Europe. The DC EDIC directly supports this ambition by providing, for the first time, a dedicated European governance structure for digital commons.
By DC EDIC coordinating national efforts and pooling resources among participating Member States, the creates favourable conditions for:
- Reuse and sustainability of Digital Europe project results, particularly open-source software, platforms and building blocks
- Cross-border deployment, a key requirement for many DEP-funded actions
- Long-term operational stability, addressing a recurring challenge for EU-funded digital solutions after project completion
Alignment with the EU Open Source and digital commons agenda
The European Commission has positioned the DC EDIC as a central partner in the EU Open Source agenda, offering funding pathways, technical and legal expertise, and cross-border collaboration models that support the adoption and scaling of proven solutions. For Digital Europe Programme projects (many of which already develop open and interoperable components), this provides a clear pathway from project outputs to European-wide deployment.
The Consortium’s role as an incubator and one-stop shop is particularly relevant for DIGITAL projects working on:
- Core digital capacities
- Interoperable public sector solutions
- Data infrastructures and shared digital services
- Trustworthy and sovereign digital technologies
Supporting Europe’s digital sovereignty objectives
The launch of the DC EDIC follows the Declaration for European Digital Sovereignty, signed by Member States in Berlin in November, which set out commitments to reduce Europe’s dependency on a limited number of global digital platforms. Digital Europe Programme projects contribute directly to this objective by developing trusted European digital solutions aligned with EU values.
In this context, the DC EDIC provides a concrete mechanism to:
- Anchor DIGITAL-funded solutions within a shared European framework
- Facilitate cooperation between public administrations, open-source communities and industry
- Ensure that strategic digital assets developed with EU funding remain accessible, reusable and sovereign
Outlook for the Digital Europe community
With founding members France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy, and additional candidate members and observers already involved, the DC EDIC is expected to expand further. The European Commission has encouraged additional participation, opening new opportunities for Digital Europe Programme projects to connect, scale and sustain their results within an emerging European digital commons ecosystem.
For the Digital Europe community, the DC EDIC represents a structural link between innovation, deployment and long-term impact, reinforcing the value of Digital Europe investments and supporting Europe’s transition from isolated initiatives to shared, resilient and open digital infrastructures.
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