[File] Free and open source software in

France: where do we stand?

Open source software has conquered a large part of the technical

infrastructure and is taking an increasingly important place in all
information systems up to the terminals.

Several recent studies highlight the economic weight of free and

open source software and its contribution to competitiveness.
According to a study commissioned by the European Commission
[https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/study-about-impact-
open-source-software-and-hardware-technological-independence-
competitiveness-and] , companies in the EU invested about one
billion euros in free software in 2018, with an impact on the European
economy estimated between 65 and 95 billion euros. In France, it
represents 10% of the overall IT market.

A whole series of objectives and motivations underlie the use of this

model of software development: autonomy (reducing dependence
on suppliers), budgetary, real competition (by purchasing services
from companies put on an equal footing by the publication of
sources), security (by allowing an audit of the developments and an
ongoing correction of the flaws in the source code by a community of
active developers)

Free and open source software can also contribute to reducing the
environmental footprint of digital technology by extending the life of
digital equipment.

Unveiling the government's action plan to support the development

of open source software in the administration, Amélie de Montchalin,
Minister of Transformation and the Civil Service, saw open source
software and the digital commons
[https://www.transformation.gouv.fr/files/presse/Discours_a_de_mont
chalin_plan_action_gouvernement_logiciels_libres_communs_numeri
ques_administration.pdf] as levers that "can enable us to progress in
these three directions: openness, quality and sovereignty. She
reminded the audience that " France is an example in the use of free
software and the opening of public source codes.

Références : 1 2

5.2 billion euros in revenues in 2019, 10% of

the overall IT market in France
A study conducted in 2019 by Teknowlogy [https://cnll.fr/news/etude-
open-source-2019/] for the National Council of Open Source Software
(CNLL), Syntec Numérique and Systematic, estimated the revenue in
software and services generated by open source at €5.2 billion."The
open source sector in France is expected to continue to grow at a very
steady rate of nearly 9% per year until 2023, which is higher than the
average growth rate of the IT market, which is around 4% in 2019-2020.
According to the authors of this study, the use of open source is
expected to increase in the next two years in nearly 80% of
companies.

The share of open source in the overall IT market in France, at over

10% (compared to 7% in Germany and 7.4% in the UK), is the highest
in Europe.

" It's a very big increase compared to the 2 or 3% of the first studies, it
is no longer something fragmented," concluded Marc Palazon,
chairman of the Open Source Committee of Syntec Numérique. "
With such a dynamic, open source should represent more than 60,000
jobs in 2020 and certainly 70,000 to 80,000 jobs by 2021, which is
exceptional ... And we should reach 12% in 2023 thanks to a more
sustained growth than the IT market.
 Références : 3 4

An open source sector, made up of mature

companies that are resilient to the crisis and
create a lot of jobs
A survey of 140 companies and some 20 key figures in the open
source ecosystem [https://cnll.fr/news/resultats-etude-filiere-open-
source-france-2021/] , conducted at the initiative of the CNLL (the
Union of Free Software and Open Source Companies), the Pôle
Systematic Paris-Région, Solibre and Nouvelle Aquitaine Open Source
(NAOS), provides an overview of the open source sector in France.
The analysis of the profile of the companies surveyed shows a sector
made up mostly (94%) of VSEs/SMEs, with a certain degree of
maturity (median age 11.5 years), and with a strong potential for
internationalization.

On average, these companies generate 20.5% of their revenues

outside France, compared to 16.7% in the digital sector.

Overall, they have weathered the COVID crisis well, with their
managers saying they are largely confident in the future of their
company and that of the free and open source ecosystem. However,
a majority of executives are concerned about the French economy
and the long-term viability of B2B customer orders.

The open source sector also continues to be a strong creator of jobs:

61.1% of companies are preparing to recruit this year.

Among the business models present in the

open source sector, the publisher model is
gaining momentum
Although the service activity remains very present, a majority (57.1%)
of companies are software publishers. As a result, business models are
naturally evolving towards solutions (pay-per-use invoicing, license
sales, etc.). Software publishing is thus increasing its importance as an
essential driver of activity for companies in the sector.
While 88.3% of respondents believe that the key principles of open
source can contribute to preserving the digital sovereignty of France
and Europe, many recognize that explaining the added value of open
source in terms of sovereignty may require some pedagogy.

Référence : 5

The French open source training offer needs

to be updated and completed
With a growth rate of 9%, twice that of the digital services market
(IT), the adoption of open source is not running out of steam and is
now worth over 5 billion euros in France.
" The increase in the number of open source skills available on the job
market will therefore be decisive in the coming years to ensure the
continuity of job creation and to support the digital transformation.
Yet, open source players are already experiencing difficulties in
recruiting and are hampered in their growth by this talent shortage."

The French Observatory for Digital, Engineering, Consulting and Event

Professions (OPIIEC) provides an update on Open Source training and
skills in France [https://www.opiiec.fr/etudes/133755] .

60,000 people are currently employed in full-time equivalent in open

source companies. Additional job openings in 2020 were estimated in
2019 at 10,000 to 20,000.

The OPIIEC analyzes the training skill needs of service companies and
publishers in the "open source" sector, private companies that use
open source software, and public organizations, and outlines a series
of projections for 2025 (assuming an annual growth rate of around 7%
for 2019-22)

At that date, open source could represent 90,900 FTEs. In addition,

between 270,000 and 450,000 IT engineers and technicians would be
involved in mastering open source skills.

(Read more [https://labo.societenumerique.gouv.fr/2022/01/03/loffre-

de-formation-francaise-en-open-source-a-besoin-detre-mise-a-jour-et-
completee/] )

Référence : 6
An action plan for open source software
and digital commons in the administration
In a circular dated April 27, 2021
[https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/circulaire/id/45162] , the Prime Minister
reminded us that administrations "must constantly seek the best
circulation of data, algorithms and codes, in open formats that can be
used by third parties. This renewed ambition implies, in addition, a
reinforcement of the opening of source codes and public algorithms, as
well as the use of free and open software, and the extinction, by 2023,
of the fees charged for the reuse of data.
Following this circular, 15 ministries have developed roadmaps for the
opening, circulation and use of public data, which were published on
September 27.

The Open Source Software and Digital Commons Action Plan

[https://communs.numerique.gouv.fr/] launched in November 2021,
contributes to the digital transformation of public service with three
objectives:

to better understand and use open source software and the digital
commons in the administration;
develop and support the opening of public sector source codes;
Rely on free and open source software to make the State-employer
more attractive to digital talent.
In particular, it provides for:
reference free and open source solutions in the GouvTech catalog;
reference the open source software and digital commons
significantly used by the administration in the interdepartmental
open source software base - SILL ;
highlighting significantly used free and open source libraries;
Reuse source code developed by other administrations;
Supporting administrations in the creation of digital commons for
the conduct of public policies.
In order to develop the opening and the release of source codes, a
new platform code.gouv.fr [https://code.gouv.fr/] is set up, in order to
 reference codes and libraries published by administrations;
Enhance the value of source codes with a high reuse potential;
build an inventory of unpublished source code that can be reused;
And to highlight the contributions of the administration to the
ecosystem of free software (solutions and libraries) and digital
commons.
Références : 7 8

220 softwares referenced in the Socle

Interministériel de Logiciels Libres
TheSocle [https://sill.etalab.gouv.fr/fr/software] Interministériel de
Logiciels Libres [https://sill.etalab.gouv.fr/fr/software] is a list of open
source software significantly used in public organizations attached to
the State or hospital civil service and which form a reference catalog
for the administration.
It is based on Article 16 of the Law for a Digital Republic (2016), which
states that administrations "shall ensure that they preserve the
control, sustainability and independence of their information systems.
They shall encourage the use of free software and open formats when
developing, purchasing or using, in whole or in part, these information
systems."

The number of referenced software programs has grown from 129 in

2018 to 220, in early 2022.

Of the 220 software products listed, 105 are office software, 60 are
production software and 53 are development tools.

Références : 9 10

A policy of support for free software in

France among the most proactive in Europe
The European Commission published on September 6, 2021 a study
on the impact of open source software on the European economy
[https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/study-about-impact-
open-source-software-and-hardware-technological-independence-
competitiveness-and] , conducted by Fraunhofer ISI and OpenForum
Europe.
The report devotes a chapter to examining government policies on
open source software in a number of EU member states (Bulgaria,
France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain) and other countries in
Europe (the United Kingdom), the Americas (the United States and
Brazil) and Asia (China, Japan, India and South Korea).

According to the report, " Open Source tends to receive more political
attention in France than has been observed in other Member States,
where it is often viewed from a more technical perspective (...).
Historically, France has been very involved in Open Source and it shows
no signs of reducing its involvement.

The report traces the various stages of the inclusion of open source
software in digital transformation strategies:

The circular of September 19, 2012, signed by the Prime Minister,

which formulates Guidelines for the use of open source software in
the administration
[https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/circulaire/id/35837] (2012);
The Law for a Digital Republic
[https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000033202746] of
October 7, 2016, which encourages public administrations to use
free software and open formats ;
The State's Open Source Contribution Policy
[https://www.numerique.gouv.fr/publications/politique-logiciel-
libre/#:~:text=Les%20objectifs%20de%20cette%20politique,de%20
contribution%20de%20l'%C3%89tat.] (2018).
While the French government is exceptionally involved in sharing open
source knowledge and resources within the public sector," the report's
authors observe, " it is not to the same degree in terms of industrial
policy to encourage the private sector to adopt open source. Although
there are no explicit public policies regarding the private sector, the
promotion of open source software within the public administration in
France has some impact on its adoption and on educating the public
about the opportunities and features of open source software.
"The notion of "digital sovereignty" seems to be present in the public
debate and Open Source tends to be easily associated with this term,
which is not always the case in other member states. While in Germany
there seems to be a strong link between digital sovereignty and Open
Source, in other countries like Poland this link does not seem to have
been developed yet." "All the efforts of the public sector in France do
not seem to be in vain, as a growing number of organizations and
communities are implementing new programs and activities and sharing
their resources. (...) Although the private sector does not have much
support for adopting Open Source, the strong involvement of the
Government in animating communities and sharing practices in the
public space seems to have a positive impact on the private sector.

Using a set of indicators that distinguish between incentives to use

open source software in the public sector and in the private sector,
the authors draw up a comparison of public dynamics within the EU.
In terms of public policies targeting the public sector (existence of
such a policy and implementation of public orders, open source
skills), France scores 65%, ahead of Italy (63%), Spain (57%) and the
United Kingdom (51%).

Références : 11 12 13

Choosing open source platforms or

solutions based on community development
modes remains an obstacle course
In the "Cahier des soutenabilités" that France Stratégie has devoted
to digital technology (" How to build a sustainable digital economy?"
[https://www.strategie.gouv.fr/sites/strategie.gouv.fr/files/atoms/files/fs
-2021-soutenabilites-cahier3-numerique-novembre.pdf] ), which
summarizes the work of workshops held throughout 2020, France
Stratégie questions the State's ability to "conduct its digital transition
in a sustainable manner"."While there are already many initiatives to
integrate environmental criteria into public purchasing procedures,
public administrations and project managers are often prevented from
making choices and implementing strategies. For example, moving away
from proprietary solutions and choosing open source platforms or
solutions based on community development methods is an obstacle
course. "When we want to finance common projects or projects that
are outside the box, we are completely helpless on these subjects,"
summarizes one of the contributors to the workshops.
According to France Stratégie, "public procurement procedures should
favor the acquisition of free and open source solutions or at least allow
for the purchase of European or French solutions.

"A more sustainable approach would be to justify why a project cannot

be made open source, rather than the other way around. But public
people are still ill-equipped to make these projects exploitable, to make
them visible, to develop a business model (...). This is a limiting element
in the development of commons and open source."
France Stratégie links the theme of open source software with that of
sustainable digital technology, which underpins the development of
the Référentiel général d'écoconception de services numériques
[https://ecoresponsable.numerique.gouv.fr/publications/referentiel-
general-ecoconception/] (RGESN), co-piloted by the Direction
interministérielle du numérique (DINUM), the Ministère de la
Transition Écologique, ADEME and the Institut du Numérique
Responsable.

"The development of new applications, which require higher

bandwidths and more energy, means that hardware fleets must be
replaced by more powerful equipment. This is why, at both the State
and local government levels, "we need to offer digital public services
that are more sober, accessible (...) even on old smartphones and
computers (...) we need to work within public services on applications
that consume fewer resources.
Références : 14 15
Sources

1. Study about the impact of open source software and hardware on

technological independence, competitiveness and innovation in the EU
economy
[https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/study-about-impact-
open-source-software-and-hardware-technological-independence-
competitiveness-and]
2. Amélie de Montchalin, Minister of Public Transformation and Civil
Service: Government's action plan for open source software and digital
commons. November 10, 2021.
[https://www.transformation.gouv.fr/files/presse/Discours_a_de_montch
alin_plan_action_gouvernement_logiciels_libres_communs_numeriques
_administration.pdf]
3. Open Source: a dynamic market fueled by digital transformation and
innovation, Study conducted by Teknowlogy for CNLL, Syntec
Numérique and Systematic. 2019
[https://systematic-paris-region.org/wp-
content/uploads/2019/12/2019_CNLL-Syntec-
Systematic_Open_Source_Study_ExecSum.pdf]
4. Open source: the digital transformation of companies and innovation
are driving growth in the French and European markets
[https://cnll.fr/news/etude-open-source-2019/]
5. Results of the survey on the state of the open source industry in
France 2020/2021
[https://cnll.fr/news/resultats-etude-filiere-open-source-france-2021/]
6. The French open source training offer needs to be updated and
completed
[https://labo.societenumerique.gouv.fr/2022/01/03/loffre-de-formation-
francaise-en-open-source-a-besoin-detre-mise-a-jour-et-completee/]
7. Circular of April 27, 2021 on the public policy of data, algorithms and
source codes
[https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/circulaire/id/45162]
8. Open Source Software and Digital Commons Action Plan
[https://communs.numerique.gouv.fr/plan-action-logiciels-libres-et-
communs-numeriques/]
9. Statistics of the Socle Interministériel de Logiciels Libres
[https://sill.etalab.gouv.fr/fr/stats]
10. Interdepartmental Free Software Foundation
[https://sill.etalab.gouv.fr/fr/software]
11. Study about the impact of open source software and hardware on
technological independence, competitiveness and innovation in the EU
economy
[https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/study-about-impact-
open-source-software-and-hardware-technological-independence-
competitiveness-and]
12. Guidelines for the use of open source software in the administration
(2012)
[https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/circulaire/id/35837]
13. State Open Source Software Contribution Policy (2018)
[https://www.numerique.gouv.fr/publications/politique-logiciel-
libre/#:~:text=Les%20objectifs%20de%20cette%20politique,de%20cont
ribution%20de%20l'%C3%89tat.]
14. General Ecodesign Framework for Digital Services (GFEPS),
[https://ecoresponsable.numerique.gouv.fr/publications/referentiel-
general-ecoconception/]
15. France Stratégie: "How to build a sustainable digital economy? The
Cahiers des soutenabilités
[https://www.strategie.gouv.fr/sites/strategie.gouv.fr/files/atoms/files/fs-
2021-soutenabilites-cahier3-numerique-novembre.pdf]

Labo Société Numérique

[File] Free and open source software in France: where do we stand?