softwarefreedom

The Court of Justice of the European Union rejected today Apple's challenge to the interoperability obligations under the Digital Markets Act. The Court also confirmed the App Store as a core platform service. The Free Software Foundation Europe acknowledges this as a major win for computer users and developers.

The Free Software Foundation Europe has been granted permission to intervene at the Court of Justice of the European Union in the case T-359/25 - Apple against the European Commission. This second intervention aims to defend interoperability and Software Freedom in Europe.

“The DMA is a milestone in breaking the dominance of gatekeepers, but it will only succeed if it protects Device Neutrality and empowers smaller developers and Free Software communities. True contestability means giving everyone, not just the biggest players, a fair chance to shape the future of our digital environment. We will continue to make sure that the DMA is implemented in a developer-friendly way”

The FSFE called on the community to participate in a consultation on the European Union’s Digital Europe Programme and demanded long-term sustainable funding for Free Software after recent budget cuts. Results show its success.

Together with nine stakeholders organisations, the FSFE has submitted a joint position paper to the EC. This paper, supported by legal and data-backed arguments, addresses Apple’s non-compliance with the law, particularly concerning software freedom, alternative Free Software app stores and interoperability obligations.

As the Digital Markets Act comes into effect today, Device Neutrality starts to become a tangible reality in the European Union. While acknowledging the new law, the FSFE alerts that this is only the first step and further commitment is necessary.

As a French Minister of Education, Gabriel Attal (currently French Prime Minister) presented the book “Ada & #Zangemann” to the #APFA parliamentarians meeting in the old Bonn parliament at the beginning of December. Afterwards he gifted the book to Anke Rehlinger, Minister-President of the Saarland (Germany).