Open source and institutional politics—do they work together? Yes, they do! Let's dive into the development of Switzerland's first federal-level law on open source and explore the challenges within the political and legal framework for open data and open source software in Switzerland.
The EMBAG law, which enshrines the principle of "public money-public code," open government data, and binding standards, has been in effect for just one year—what developments have occurred since its enactment? How did such a progressive law come to pass in Switzerland, a country that clearly lags in public digitalization? What are the current challenges arising from this new legal foundation? And how does the "open source" principle impact other policy areas, even beyond digitalization?
CH++ is a civil society lobbying organization involved in Switzerland's political processes. We report from our concrete experience at the heart of political Switzerland, using specific examples.
With a background in Swiss politics and political campaigning, Olga co-founded CH++ over four years ago. Working alongside a broad network of civil society organizations, CH++ is transforming digital policies in Switzerland toward a more open, secure, and citizen-centered digitalization.