Schleswig-Holstein's Bold Open Source Leap: A Model for Digital Sovereignty?

The German state of Schleswig-Holstein is making waves, and it's not just the North Sea. A recent article in c't Magazin ("Von Microsoft zu Open Source: Wie Schleswig-Holstein den Wechsel schaffen will" - [From Microsoft to Open Source: How Schleswig-Holstein Plans to Make the Switch]) details the state's ambitious plan to ditch Microsoft Office, Exchange, and even, eventually, Windows, in favor of Open Source alternatives. This is a significant move, especially when contrasted with other German states and the Federal government that are doubling down on Microsoft's cloud services. This resonates deeply with the EuroStack Project's mission, and we want to unpack what it means for digital sovereignty, public procurement, and the future of the European digital ecosystem.

The Schleswig-Holstein Plan

The state's "digitally sovereign IT workplace" is built on six pillars:

LibreOffice: Replacing Microsoft Office. This is the most advanced part of the plan, with LibreOffice already installed on all 30,000 IT workstations and a target of 70% Microsoft Office removal by October 2025.
Open-Xchange/Thunderbird: Replacing Exchange/Outlook for email and collaboration. Migration is underway, with thousands of mailboxes moving weekly.
Linux: The long-term goal is to replace Windows with a Linux desktop (specifically mentioning KDE Plasma for its familiarity to Windows users). A pilot is planned for this year.
Univention Corporate Server (UCS): Replacing Microsoft Active Directory.
Fachverfahren Interoperability: Ensuring compatibility of specialized administrative software ("Fachverfahren") with LibreOffice and Linux. This is a key challenge.
Open-Source Telephony: Implementing an Open Source telephony solution.

Why This Matters

This initiative is a powerful example of several key principles that the EuroStack Project champions:

Digital Sovereignty: Schleswig-Holstein is actively reducing its dependence on a single, non-European tech giant. This is a direct response to the growing concerns about data security, extraterritorial laws (like the US CLOUD Act), and the need for greater European control over its digital infrastructure.
Open Source as a Strategic Imperative: The state isn't just choosing Open Source for cost savings (though that's a factor); they recognize its strategic value for transparency, security, flexibility, and avoiding vendor lock-in.
Public Procurement as a Lever: This is a perfect illustration of how public procurement can be used to drive strategic goals. By choosing Open Source, Schleswig-Holstein is not only improving its own IT infrastructure but also sending a strong signal to the market, potentially encouraging other public administrations to follow suit.
"Public Money, Public Code" (in practice): Improvements made to Open Source software as part of this project, like the accessibility enhancements to LibreOffice, are available to the public. This exemplifies the principle that publicly funded software should be Open Source.
SME empowerment: By chosing Open Source solutions, they create opportunities for many European service providers.

Challenges and Considerations

The c't article doesn't shy away from the challenges:

Change Management: Getting employees on board with new software is a significant hurdle. The article highlights concerns from unions (Verdi) about increased workload and insufficient training. This underscores the importance of investing in training and support, as emphasized in the EuroStack Project's position paper on public procurement.
Specialized Applications Compatibility: Integrating existing specialized administrative software ("Fachverfahren") with Open Source alternatives is a complex and ongoing process. This requires collaboration with software vendors and, in some cases, developing new interfaces.
"Go-it-Alone" Approach: The German civil servants' union (dbb) criticizes Schleswig-Holstein for not pursuing a coordinated solution with other federal states. This raises the question of whether a more unified approach would be more efficient. However, Schleswig-Holstein argues that their early start gives them an advantage.
openDesk vs. Custom Solution: Interestingly, Schleswig-Holstein isn't adopting openDesk (a federal Open Source office suite) as its primary solution, opting instead for a more customized approach. They plan to use openDesk for backup/emergency workstations. This highlights the tension between standardized solutions and the need for flexibility to meet specific needs.
Cost saving is not guaranteed: Even if license costs are saved, the migration and maintenance might cost as much, if not more, in the short term. However, the long-term benefits of Open Source are not just about cost savings.

The Bigger Picture

Schleswig-Holstein's experiment is a crucial case study for the rest of Europe. It demonstrates that a transition to Open Source in public administration is possible, albeit challenging. It also highlights the importance of:

Political Will: The commitment from both Green and CDU ministers shows that digital sovereignty can be a bipartisan issue.
Community Engagement: The emphasis on working with the Open Source community (e.g., LibreOffice developers) is vital for long-term success.
Long-Term Vision: The plan isn't just about replacing existing software; it's about building a more resilient, independent, and sustainable digital infrastructure.

Questions and Call to Action for the EuroStack Community

What lessons can other European public administrations learn from Schleswig-Holstein's experience?
How can we better support public sector transitions to Open Source, addressing the challenges of change management and software compatibility?
Is a "go-it-alone" approach ultimately beneficial, or should there be more coordination at the national or European level?
How can we ensure that "Buy European" initiatives don't lead to new forms of vendor lock-in, even with Open Source solutions?
How can we best measure the success of such initiatives, beyond just cost savings (e.g., measuring improvements in security, transparency, and employee satisfaction)?

Schleswig-Holstein's bold move is a significant step towards a more digitally sovereign Europe. The EuroStack Project will be closely watching its progress and advocating for policies that support similar initiatives across the continent. We believe this is a vital conversation, and we encourage your participation and insights.

Update (2025/03/11) - Summary of the LibreOffice Migration Project Conference Talk

Paolo Vecchi informed us of a recent talk by some of the leaders of the migration project during the LibreOffice Conference 2024.

The presentation focused on the ongoing migration of Schleswig-Holstein's state government IT infrastructure to open-source software, with a particular emphasis on the adoption of LibreOffice. Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost federal state in Germany, with approximately 30,000 employees across nine ministries and twenty authorities. The presenters highlighted that this initiative is the first of its kind among German federal states, driven by a cross-party consensus that has survived elections.

What follows is a summary of the key points from the talk:

Key Drivers and Goals

The primary motivation for the migration is to achieve digital sovereignty and reduce dependence on proprietary software vendors (specifically mentioning Microsoft). The stated goals include:

Increased Self-Determination: Gaining greater control over the state's IT infrastructure and data.
Reduced Dependencies: Minimizing reliance on single vendors and fostering a more diverse provider landscape.
Prioritized Open Source: Making open-source solutions the default choice for public IT.
Interoperability: using open source solutions such as LibreOffice and Thunderbird allows for a higher level of interoperability, and decoupling.

Project Strategy and Timeline

The migration is based on a strategic decision made by the Schleswig-Holstein state government (cabinet) in 2023, following years of discussion and planning initiated by the state's CIO, Sven Thomsen. Key strategic elements include:

Phased Approach: The migration is being implemented in stages, allowing for parallel use of LibreOffice and Microsoft Office until October 2025 (when Microsoft's support for older versions ends).
Decentralized Implementation: While the decision was made centrally, the responsibility for deployment, support, and migration is distributed across the IT departments of various state entities.
Mandatory ODF: As of August 1, 2024, the Open Document Format (ODF) will become the official document format for the state administration, providing a strong incentive to use LibreOffice.
Exception Handling: Acknowledging that some specific processes may still require Microsoft Office (estimated at less than 30% of use cases), the strategy allows for continued use in those limited scenarios, but with LibreOffice remaining the default for all standard work. This will primarily be line of business software or hardware related software that utilizes VBA.
Long-Term Reduction: The goal is to progressively reduce the reliance on Microsoft Office even in the exceptional cases over time.

Architecture and Components

The presentation included a visual representation of the target "Digital Sovereign IT Workplace" architecture, which includes various open-source components:

Operating System: A future transition to a Linux-based operating system is planned.
Telephony: Open-source solutions are being implemented for telephony.
Office Suite (BIPRO): LibreOffice is the most advanced component of the migration, already being deployed on Windows desktops alongside existing Microsoft Office installations.
Specialized Procedures: This area represents the ongoing challenge of migrating custom applications and processes used by government agencies in their interactions with citizens.

Support Ecosystem

A three-tier support model has been established:

Tier 1 & 2: Handled by Dataport, the government-owned IT service provider for northern German states. The "Competence Center Office" (where Susanne works) provides this support, covering both LibreOffice and Microsoft Office.
Tier 3: Provided by Schad (Speaker 1's company), focusing on complex issues, macro migration, API integrations, and providing strategic guidance.
Development: Allotropia (Torsten's company) contributes directly to LibreOffice development, addressing bugs, adding features, and making customizations to meet the specific needs of Schleswig-Holstein.

Dataport's Role (Competence Center Office)

Dataport's responsibilities include:

Dedicated Contacts: Assigning dedicated personnel to each ministry to act as LibreOffice contact points.
"Coffee Shop" Workshops: Organizing informal, in-person and virtual sessions for users to ask questions and receive training on specific LibreOffice features.
Functional Mailbox: Providing a central point for receiving user requests, reports, and feedback.
Supporting both office suites.

Schad's Role (Third-Level Support)

Schad's contributions include:

Addressing Interoperability Challenges: Providing guidance on issues arising from the parallel use of two office suites (e.g., copy-paste).
Macro Migration: Assisting with the migration and potential consolidation of macros, evaluating whether macro logic is the most appropriate solution for specific processes.
API Integration: Working with APIs used by specialized applications (e.g., environmental monitoring tools).
Feature Requests: Facilitating feature requests and bug reports to Allotropia for LibreOffice development.

Allotropia's Role (Development)

Allotropia's unique contribution is its ability to directly improve LibreOffice:

Windows Touch Gesture Support: Implemented touch gesture support for LibreOffice on Windows tablets, addressing a usability issue identified by the digital minister.
Accessibility Sidebar: Developed an accessibility sidebar based on Collabora's online checker, providing quick fixes for accessibility issues in documents.
PDF/UA Export Improvements: Significantly enhanced the accessibility of PDF exports, achieving near-perfect compliance with PDF/UA standards.
WebDAV Integration: Fixed issues related to integrating LibreOffice with e-filing systems using WebDAV.
Interoperability Fixes: Addressed various interoperability problems, including those related to raw XML and writer comments.
Backporting: the ability to backport changes and fixes to earlier versions of LibreOffice.

Key Takeaways and Conclusions

Schleswig-Holstein's migration to LibreOffice is a strategically significant project driven by the desire for digital sovereignty.
The phased approach, decentralized implementation, and mandatory ODF adoption are key elements of the strategy.
The three-tier support ecosystem, including direct development contributions, demonstrates the unique advantages of open-source solutions.
The project highlights the importance of addressing both technical and organizational challenges in large-scale migrations.
The ability to directly influence the development of LibreOffice through Allotropia is a crucial factor in the project's success.
The speakers stressed the benefit of being able to contact an open-source ecosystem partner as opposed to a propriatery software company.