Welcome to the April 2023 newsletter!

In this edition, catch up on big news stemming from KubeCon CloudNativeCon Europe, including the EU Cyber Resiliency Act; our newest team member Rimma Perelmuter, who joins us as VP Strategic Growth; and the launch of our World of Open Source survey, amongst others.

Table of Contents

Training & Certification Discounts and LiFT Scholarship 🧑‍🎓📚

• LF Training & Certification Discounts until 30 April
• Become a 2023 LiFT Scholar! 🧑‍🎓🚀

News & Announcements

• LF Europe GM Gabriele Columbro on the EU Cyber Resilience Act
• Welcome Rimma Perelmuter: NEW VP Strategic Growth at LF Europe
• SAVE THE DATE: LF Europe Member Summit on September 18, 2023 🇪🇸

Calls to Action 📯📯

• Join our campaign to amend the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act
• Participate in the World of Open Source: Global Spotlight Survey 

Upcoming Events

• LF Europe presenting @ Congreso esLibre in Zaragoza, Spain: 12-13 May 🇪🇸
• LF Energy Summit in Paris, France: 1-2 June 🇫🇷
• Embedded Open Source Summit in Prague, Czech Republic: 27 -30 June 🇨🇿

Contact

• Say “Hi!” to the LF Europe Team 👋

Training & Certification Discounts and LiFT Scholarship 🧑‍🎓📚

LF Training & Certification Discounts till 30 April

Hit one out of the park by saving up to 30% on Training and Certification! Use code HOMERUNEU30 through April 30.

Interested in reading our Training newsletter? Click here to subscribe.

Become a 2023 LiFT Scholar! 🧑‍🎓🚀

The Shubhra Kar Linux Foundation Training (LiFT) Scholarship Program aims to increase diversity in open source technology by providing access to training courses and certification exams for deserving individuals at no cost to the recipient.

Since 2010, The Linux Foundation has awarded over 1,600 scholarships for millions of dollars worth of specialised, technical training to those who may not have the ability to afford this opportunity otherwise. The program was renamed in memory of long time Linux Foundation CTO Shubhra Kar, who we tragically lost in early 2022.

News & Announcements

LF Europe GM Gab Columbro on the EU Cyber Resilience Act

LF Europe GM Gabriele Columbro at KubeCon CloudNativeCon Europe 2023

The EU's Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) is currently being debated in the European Parliament and Council. The Act aims to improve cybersecurity and the security of the software supply chain in the EU, but there are concerns that the current draft may unfairly assign liability to open source developers and non-profit foundations that host open source software. 

Gab Columbro, LF Europe General Manager, recently gave a keynote address at KubeCon CloudNativeCon Europe 2023, calling for the open source community to take action to help amend the CRA to better safeguard their interests. 

In his keynote, Gab explained the risks associated with the CRA in its current form, stating that it could "fragment open source – and load risk onto devs." Gab's concerns about the CRA in its current form were also reported by DevClass, highlighting the risks associated with the legislation.

Linux Foundation Europe has also taken several actions to support this effort, including working under the auspices of Open Forum Europe to propose concrete amendments, educating participants about the legislation, co-signing an open letter with other open source foundations, hosting a panel discussion at KubeCon and CloudNativeCon Europe, and is working to create venues for ongoing cross-foundation policy collaboration.

You can get involved by contacting Linux Foundation Europe or joining the CRA-dedicated Discord channel. The Linux Foundation is committed to working with policymakers to ensure that any cybersecurity and software supply chain security legislation strikes an appropriate balance between security objectives and open source development practices.

See more from the press:

1. Open Letter to the European Commission on the Cyber Resilience Act 
2. In letter to EU, open source bodies say Cyber Resilience Act could have ‘chilling effect’ on software development
3. Linux Foundation Europe chief warns EU bill could fragment open source – and load risk onto devs 
4. EU’s Cyber Resilience Act would benefit from US’ open source approach
5. 🇩🇪 Cyber Resilience Act: Open-Source-Organisationen fordern Mitspracherecht
6. 🇫🇷 Le Cyber Resilience Act, un projet européen qui inquiète les acteurs du logiciel libre
7. 🇪🇸 Piden a la UE reevaluar la Ley de Ciberresiliencia por su efecto en el software open source

Welcome Rimma Perelmuter: NEW VP Strategic Growth at LF Europe

SAVE THE DATE: LF Europe Member Summit in Bilbao, Spain on September 18, 2023 🇪🇸

By popular demand, we will host our first ever Linux Foundation Europe Member Summit, which will take place on September 18th in Bilbao, Spain, the day before Open Source Summit Europe. 

We are super excited to be able to bring together the LF Europe member community.

This event is restricted to Linux Foundation Europe participating organizations and capacity is limited, so make sure to join LF Europe if you haven't yet and sign up for updates to be first notified about registration, schedule, and event details. 

Platinum members receive 3 invitations, Gold members receive 2 invitations, and Silver members receive 1 invitation. Leveled members will be given an opportunity to register first, with associate members being provided invitations based on availability.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have high profile speakers you’d like to put forward. 

Calls to Action 📯📯

Join our campaign to amend the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act 

The EU's Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) legislation is currently making its way through the legislative process, with discussions ongoing within the European Parliament  (Rapporteur is Nicola Danti) and the European Council. The CRA aims to improve cybersecurity and the security of the software supply chain in the European Union. However, there are concerns that how the Act is currently drafted may unintentionally burden open source contributors and non-profit foundations.

The Linux Foundation strongly supports the goal of improving software supply chain security, and it has taken several actions in response to the CRA: 

• We have worked alongside other open source organisations under the OpenForum Europe umbrella to propose concrete, common-sense amendments to the CRA.
• We have engaged with our participants and community to educate them about the potential issues with the legislation and urge action.
• We co-signed an open letter with a broad coalition of open source foundations, calling on the EU for closer collaboration and consultation with open source communities on the CRA and future legislation. 
• We hosted a panel discussion and birds-of-a-feather session to discuss the issue with the European community, which took place on April 21, 2023, at KubeCon CloudNativeCon Europe.
• We are actively working to create venues for cross-foundation collaboration aimed at providing a broad representation of the open source community and serving as an interlocutor for ongoing dialogue with policymakers.
  
  

Individuals and organisations can get involved in this effort by contacting Linux Foundation Europe or joining the CRA-dedicated Discord channel. We are committed to working with policymakers to ensure that any cybersecurity and software supply chain security legislation strikes an appropriate balance between security objectives and open source development practices.

Participate in the World of Open Source: Global Spotlight Survey 

Take the Linux Foundation’s World of Open Source: Global Spotlight 2023 Survey and share your perspective on the state of open source worldwide. The survey will explore regional open source trends and investigate using and adopting open source technologies and best practices. The survey takes only 10-15 minutes to complete, and upon completion, you'll receive a 25% discount on any Linux Foundation e-learning training course or certification exam.

Upcoming Events

LF Europe presenting @ Congreso esLibre in Zaragoza, Spain: 12-13 May 🇪🇸

Cailean Osborne will present key findings from the “World of Open Source: Europe Spotlight 2022” at the Congreso esLibre on 12-13 May in Zaragoza, Spain.

Produced in collaboration with Scott Logic, this report describes the “state of open source” across Europe and builds a comprehensive picture by examining open source consumption, contributions, challenges, motivators, and opportunities. 

Cailean will focus on some of the most compelling findings: the imbalance between open source consumption and contributions; the role of OSS leaders and champions in creating OSS-friendly cultures within organisations; and how the public sector in Europe is failing to fully realise the value of open source for its citizens.

LF Energy Summit in Paris, France: 1-2 June 🇫🇷

LF Energy Summit, 1-2 June in Paris, will gather LF Energy Foundation members, developers, end users, researchers, regulators, and other energy industry stakeholders to learn about LF Energy and its projects, collaborate, and share best practices. 

Embedded Open Source Summit in Prague, Czech Republic: 27 -30 June 🇨🇿

Embedded Open Source Summit will take place in Prague, Czech Republic on June 27 -30, 2023. Embedded Open Source Summit (EOSS) is a new umbrella event for open source embedded projects and developer communities to come together under one roof for important collaboration, discussions and education.

Contact

Say “Hi!” to the LF Europe Team 👋

If you’d like to stay up to date with what we’re up to at LF Europe, make sure to subscribe to our monthly newsletter and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

We are excited to invite you to join the newly launched Discord server of the Linux Foundation Europe for open source initiatives. Our goal is to create a platform where open source enthusiasts and experts can come together to discuss, collaborate and work towards advancing the open source movement.Please check this link to join: https://discord.gg/Yb42EYuYNE

If you have ideas for new projects, please feel free to reach out to us at info@linuxfoundation.eu. We would be glad to explore how we can support you. 

Finally, please also consider supporting LF Europe by  becoming a member (it’s free for existing Linux Foundation members, not for profit and public sector entities). 

On behalf of the LF Europe team, we look forward to hearing from you!