Denmark’s Shift to Open-Source Software: A Major Step Toward Digital Sovereignty in Europe

Denmark’s decision to replace Microsoft software with open-source alternatives signals a critical turning point in the ongoing debate over national digital sovereignty, government procurement, and the future of public sector IT infrastructure. As the Danish Agency for Digitization begins its process of moving over half its staff from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice—aiming for a complete switch to open-source tools by year’s end—the implications of this approach for governments across Europe, major software vendors, and end users are profound and potentially far-reaching.

Denmark’s Bid for Digital Independence: A Closer Look​

The announcement, confirmed by Danish Minister for Digitalisation Caroline Stage Olsen in an interview with Politiken, outlines a staged transition that is both pragmatic and ambitious. By mid-year, the agency expects more than 50% of its employees to be working exclusively with LibreOffice instead of Microsoft Office. By autumn, if all goes according to plan, the switch will be complete.
LibreOffice, maintained by The Document Foundation—a Berlin-based nonprofit—is widely regarded as the leading open-source office suite, supporting Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. It incorporates feature-rich tools for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, vector graphics, databases, and mathematical formula editing. The Document Foundation’s international stewardship aims to maintain strict independence from any single nation’s policy or business interests—a factor that appeals directly to governments seeking autonomy from dominant U.S. tech firms.

The Case for Digital Sovereignty​

At the heart of Denmark’s shift lies the concept of “digital sovereignty.” This refers to a nation’s ability to control its digital assets—data, software, and digital infrastructure—without undue dependence on foreign companies or regulatory regimes. Recent political tensions between Denmark and the U.S., especially during the Trump administration, have only intensified concerns that over-reliance on American technology can leave European data and public IT policies exposed to the whims of international politics.
Henrik Appel Espersen, chair of Copenhagen’s audit committee, cited cost concerns, Microsoft’s overwhelming market dominance, and increasing anxieties about data protection as core motivators. “The move is driven by cost concerns and Microsoft’s strong grip on the market,” Espersen explained, underlining broader worries about the power dynamics inherent to the software industry.

Open-Source as a Counterweight to Vendor Lock-In​

Historically, proprietary software giants have used licensing, integration, and compatibility requirements to “lock in” government clients. This lock-in can result in perpetual costs, inflexible contract terms, and limited ability to respond to rapidly evolving regulatory or security requirements. LibreOffice and other open-source solutions, such as Nextcloud, Open-Xchange, or Linux itself, offer governments the prospect of breaking this cycle.
The promise: open-source software can be freely used, modified, and distributed, enabling local IT teams to adapt tools to specific needs. Moreover, migration away from costly proprietary contracts can yield substantial long-term savings, although initial transition costs—including retraining and process overhaul—are not trivial.

Recent Precedents in Europe: A Continent-Wide Trend​

Denmark is not advancing this agenda in isolation. The municipalities of Copenhagen and Aarhus—Denmark’s largest—had already publicly committed to phasing out Microsoft software, citing not only economics but explicit market and political risk factors.
Meanwhile, Germany, long a bellwether in the European public sector IT landscape, recently saw its northern state Schleswig-Holstein announce a full switch to LibreOffice (for productivity) and Open-Xchange (for email and calendaring), with a broader migration to Linux desktops slated for the coming years. Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister-President described the push as creating a “digitally sovereign IT workplace” and pledged to make the region a “digital pioneer.”
This is far from the first time a European administration has pursued open-source alternatives to Microsoft. Similar attempts have taken place over the past two decades in France, the U.K., and the German city of Munich—with mixed results.

The Munich Experience: A Cautionary Tale and a Road Map​

The city of Munich’s high-profile switch to Linux and open-source software in the 2000s followed by a partial reversal in the 2010s is instructive. Initially hailed as a model for municipal digital independence, the project ultimately suffered from usability issues, staff resistance, costly parallel systems, and vendor lobbying efforts. Eventually, parts of the city administration migrated back to Windows and Microsoft Office, citing compatibility and support challenges.
The lessons learned: success depends not just on the technical merits of open-source tools but on thoughtful change management, robust user training, and careful integration of essential features—especially where workflows involve complex documents shared with external partners still using Microsoft formats. Governments must balance their independence ambitions against the day-to-day operational realities of large bureaucracies.

Cost and Economic Impact: Potential Savings and Uncertainties​

One of the most frequently cited arguments for migration to open-source software is financial. Licensing fees for Microsoft Office and Windows add up quickly, especially across large public sector organizations. LibreOffice, by contrast, is free to download and use. However, these headline savings must be balanced against the costs of migration:

• User Training: Employees familiar with Microsoft ecosystems must adapt to new interfaces, workflows, and feature sets.
• Migration of Documents: Massive archives of files—often deeply interlinked or reliant on advanced Office macros—require conversion, testing, or, in some cases, parallel systems.
• IT Support: New forms of support are needed, as vendor helpdesks may be replaced by open-source communities and third-party consultancies.
• Compatibility Risks: Legacy applications or workflows built atop Microsoft APIs may have no direct open-source replacements, requiring custom development.

Studies from universities, think tanks, and previous migration attempts suggest break-even times for open-source migrations vary from two to seven years, depending largely on an organization’s size, complexity, and pre-existing licensing commitments. Governments must prepare for transient dips in efficiency during the early phases of such a transition.

Security and Data Protection: Open-Source Advantages and Open Questions​

Security is often cited as a primary benefit of open-source software. With code that is publicly inspectable, vulnerabilities are theoretically easier to spot and faster to patch, compared to proprietary “black box” solutions. Public sector IT admins frequently highlight the following strengths:

• Transparency: No hidden backdoors or undisclosed data flows; source code can be audited by anyone.
• Regulatory Compliance: Easier mapping to GDPR and local data protection standards, since governments can control data residency and audit processing pipelines.
• Rapid Patch Cycles: Open-source communities can issue urgent security fixes without waiting for a vendor’s formal release schedule.

Yet, these benefits are closely tied to the strength of the open-source communities responsible for maintaining and evolving the software. Public agencies making the switch must consider how to contribute back to the community, sponsor feature development, or procure commercial support contracts to mitigate the risk of “orphaned” features, delayed updates, or specialized local needs.

Risks and What Could Go Wrong​

Despite the many attractive qualities of open-source migrations, several risks and challenges remain:

• Interoperability: Despite efforts to maintain compatibility, LibreOffice documents do not always render perfectly in Microsoft Office, or vice versa, especially with complex formatting, macros, or advanced media.
• User Resistance: Long-term employees may resist the transition, especially if new interfaces slow down routine work or if mission-critical features are missing.
• Support and Maintenance: Reliance on community support networks may prove insufficient for high-stakes public sector needs; third-party vendors and integrators will need to fill this gap, potentially offsetting cost savings.
• Reversal Risk: As with Munich, failures in project management or inadequate user training can lead to a costly return to Microsoft or mixed environments that fail to realize the predicted benefits.

Minister Caroline Stage Olsen has acknowledged these risks, stating to Politiken that the ministry remains willing to revert to Microsoft products if the open-source path proves unacceptably complex or disruptive.

Industry Response: Microsoft and the Shifting Enterprise Market​

As of the latest reporting, Microsoft had not officially responded to Denmark's announcement. However, these trends pose a significant strategic challenge to the tech giant’s long-held dominance in European government and public sector IT. Microsoft has a long history of countering public sector migrations with tailored licensing agreements, transition subsidies, and aggressive lobbying.
At the same time, Microsoft has adapted its own offerings, embracing hybrid and cloud-delivered models (as with Microsoft 365) and expanding support for open standards. This shift is itself a response to mounting regulatory scrutiny over market dominance, data sovereignty, and resilience in the face of geopolitical shifts.
Industry analysts note that Denmark’s move—if successful—could catalyze further migration efforts among smaller countries, municipalities, and agencies that have so far hesitated to challenge entrenched vendors.

The Broader European Context: A Regulatory Winds of Change​

The Danish government’s decision fits into a wider European push for “digital autonomy” and tighter control over how key digital services are procured and managed. Since the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), EU member states have increasingly questioned the wisdom of entrusting sensitive citizen data to non-European companies subject to non-EU jurisdictions.
The European Commission itself, alongside national and regional governments, continues to invest in federated cloud platforms (like GAIA-X), sovereign data spaces, and research into certified open-source alternatives for critical infrastructure. The moves by Denmark, Germany’s Schleswig-Holstein, and others are both symbolic and practical components in this shifting landscape.

Comparative Strengths: LibreOffice vs. Microsoft Office​

A technical comparison between LibreOffice and Microsoft Office reveals both convergence and persistent gaps:
For routine document editing, spreadsheets, and presentations, LibreOffice is now largely feature-complete compared to its proprietary competitor. However, enterprises requiring cloud-native collaboration, extensive workflow automation, or guaranteed backward compatibility with legacy document archives may encounter friction.

What Could Success Look Like?​

For Denmark and the growing coalition of digitally ambitious European governments, ultimate success will be measured not merely in reduced licensing costs or compliance with digital sovereignty mandates. Far more important are:

• Long-Term Resilience: The ability to adapt to geopolitical shocks, regulatory shifts, and future threats without being locked into specific vendors or proprietary formats.
• Capacity Building: Developing in-house or domestic expertise for sustaining, customizing, and evolving public sector IT beyond dabbling in vendor dashboards.
• European Technology Leadership: Demonstrating that a region-wide commitment to open standards and community-driven development can yield viable, world-class alternatives to Silicon Valley behemoths.

Key Takeaways for the Global Technology Community​

• Denmark’s open-source pivot is among several high-profile European attempts to reclaim public sector digital sovereignty, joining peers in Germany and major Danish cities.
• Economic Savings are real, but offset by retraining, migration, and added support costs in the short-to-medium term. Total cost reductions require careful, long-term planning.
• Political and Regulatory Factors—especially concerns over U.S. market dominance and data protection—are central to the decision and reflect a broader EU-wide trend.
• Risks remain around interoperability, user acceptance, and potential project reversals if the transition is mismanaged.
• If successful, Denmark’s move could embolden further experiments in public sector open-source adoption, indirectly pressuring vendors to improve interoperability, licensing, and open up more source code.

Conclusion: The Real Test Is Yet to Come​

Denmark’s decision to ditch Microsoft Office and embrace open-source alternatives like LibreOffice—mirroring moves in German, French, and other European public offices—marks a watershed moment in the evolving quest for digital independence. It shows that sovereignty in the digital age is about far more than servers or software—it’s about political leverage, economic resilience, citizen trust, and technological adaptability.
Yet the path is not without peril. Success will require more than converting file formats or swapping out icons on user desktops. It will demand cultural change, sustained investment, and a willingness to face—and overcome—unexpected pitfalls.
For tech professionals, policy analysts, and anyone invested in the future of public sector IT, Denmark’s experiment is both a challenge and an invitation: to imagine what a digitally autonomous public sector might look like, and how the rest of the world should respond. Whether this journey results in a “digital pioneer region” or a cautionary tale will depend on execution as much as on ideals. Europe, and the world, will be watching closely.

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Source: The Record from Recorded Future News Danish government agency to ditch Microsoft software in push for digital independence