The NGI Commons consortium, in close collaboration with the European Commission, is pleased to announce the Digital Commons Policy Summit 2025: Digital Commons and the Open Internet Stack for a Competitive Europe. This two-day event will take place on November 20-21, 2025 at the European Commission DG CNECT headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
A defining moment for European digital sovereignty
After a decade of the Next Generation Internet initiative drawing out, funding, fostering, and mapping Digital Commons across Europe, the time has come to chart a unified path forward. This summit represents a critical juncture where bottom-up movements meet top-down policy efforts to unlock the full potential of Digital Commons as essential infrastructure for European digital autonomy.
“The question is no longer whether Digital Commons are valuable, but rather how we scale them effectively,” explains Dr. Monique Calisti, NGI Commons coordinator. “This summit brings together the stakeholders who can drive systemic change – from policymakers and regulators to practitioners and funders.”
What makes this summit essential
The Digital Commons Policy Summit 2025 addresses the urgent need to bridge fragmentation and create an overarching narrative for Digital Commons in Europe. Over two days, participants will:
- Explore the NGI Commons roadmap for scaling Digital Commons across Member States
- Discuss funding mechanisms that ensure both flexibility and long-term sustainability within the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)
- Build the case for public procurement as a powerful lever for Digital Commons adoption
- Examine the Open Internet Stack and its role in strengthening Digital Commons
- Elevate practitioner perspectives grounded in real practice, depth interviews, and comprehensive domain analysis
Key sessions and highlights
Day 1 (November 20) kicks off with a high-level policy session featuring Members of the European Parliament (ITRE Committee) discussing “Digital Sovereignty: The Role of the EU Budget and Public Investment in Shaping the Internet.” The afternoon includes strategic sessions on operationalizing Digital Commons at scale with Member State representatives, followed by a roundtable on the Open Internet Stack’s role in sustaining the Commons.
Day 2 (November 21) focuses on critical implementation challenges, including public sector needs, regulatory frameworks, digital identity and wallets, and the vital perspectives of open source practitioners and Digital Commons advocates.
Who should attend
This summit is designed for stakeholders who can drive systemic change:
- Regional, national, and European Commission policymakers
- Regulators, legislators, and standardization bodies
- Funders and foundations
- Chief Innovation Officers and Chief Information Officers from European companies
- Chief Science Officers and Chief Technical Officers from major cities
- Academics working on Digital Commons and emergent technology
- Open source practitioners aiming to enlarge their ecosystems
Registration details
Registration is free but mandatory. In-person attendance is limited, but the entire event will be accessible online for remote participants.