The new Free and Open Source
Software<http://europa.eu.int/information_society/activities/opensource/>
site provides information on activities conducted within European
programmes and initiatives related to free and open source software.
...
Software has gained so much in importance in almost every sector of
society that it has become a strategic societal resource. Moreover, in
recent years the software market has shown signs of entering a much more
volatile and vigorous period. This re-invigoration of the market is due
to the emergence of F/OSS, which has made commercial in-roads in major
segments of the software market. This development has led to some unrest
with software and service providers and users alike, which may be the
natural reaction of a high value market injected with new competitive
offers. In terms of the market, F/OSS most likely will increase the
competition in the software market from which positive fall-out for the
consumer is to be expected. On the provider side, F/OSS creates new
opportunities for software and service providers, which may be a unique
opportunity for the European software industry - somehow this may be a
proverbial "second and last chance".
...
http://europa.eu.int/information_society/activities/opensource/text_en.htm