Free and Open Source Software in education and the Interoperable Europe Act: Advancing digital autonomy?

This paper examines how the Interoperable Europe Act (IEA) shapes the legal framework for the adoption of Free and OpenSource Software (FOSS) in public education, specifically evaluating its contribution to advancing digital autonomy in this context. It argues that the IEA represents a landmark effort to build a more integrated and collaborative EU digital public sector by requiring interoperability across trans European digital public services and promoting the reuse of resources, with particular promise for the educational sector who has grown increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure provided by private technology companies. At the same time, the paper argues that the potential of the IEA to support digital autonomy in educational contexts is limited by its scope and by its failure to fully address key barriers to FOSS adoption in schools and universities, including complex procurement procedures, licensing challenges, and operational barriers within the educational sector. Ultimately, these limitations indicate that its impact is likely to remain modest unless complemented by broader reforms at the national and institutional levels.