The European Commission yesterday announced the establishment of the Digital Commons European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (DC-EDIC) — a new initiative designed to help EU Member States jointly develop, deploy and operate cross-border digital infrastructures with shared governance and a dedicated legal personality.
DC-EDIC’s mission includes:
- Building a European community of public, private and civic stakeholders;
- Facilitating access to funding through a one-stop-shop and expertise hub;
- Providing legal and technical support for maintenance and scaling;
- Offering policy advice and awareness-raising on digital sovereignty;
- Coordinating multi-country projects anchored in digital commons principles.
What is DC-EDIC? With its statutory seat in Paris, the DC-EDIC will bring together France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy as founding members, while other Member States will be able to join under fair and transparent terms.
The DC-EDIC will be a cornerstone of this strategy, implementing a Multi-Country Project on Digital Commons focused on European data infrastructures, digital services and connected public administrations. The consortium will pool Member State resources, coordinate with public and private actors, and promote the adoption and sustainability of digital commons across Europe.
What DC-EDIC will do
The Assembly of Members will define the implementation strategy, supported by an Ad Hoc Implementation Strategy Committee during the start-up phase. A Director will oversee daily operations, while an Advisory Board will guide long-term strategy and ensure alignment with European digital goals.
Participation in DC-EDIC infrastructures and activities will be open, transparent and non-discriminatory, including access to shared testing and experimentation facilities.
Why it matters for NGI Commons?
The NGI Commons initiative — which promotes open, trustworthy and human-centric digital technologies — is closely aligned with the goals of the DC-EDIC. Both initiatives share a vision of sustainable, open and collaborative digital ecosystems that empower citizens, researchers, public administrations and SMEs.
DC-EDIC provides a structural and legal framework to scale up the results of NGI Commons projects, ensuring that innovative open-source solutions can move from experimentation to long-term deployment across Europe. This synergy will help transform European digital commons into durable, widely adopted infrastructures that serve the public interest.
Looking ahead
Upcoming steps include recruiting the Director and founding team, followed by the launch of a Digital Europe Programme (DEP) support project. By 2027, the consortium aims to deliver a One-Stop-Shop and Expertise Hub, a Digital Commons Forum and Award, and publish the first State of the Digital Commons Report.
The official launch of DC-EDIC is scheduled for December 2025, marking a milestone in Europe’s journey toward digital sovereignty and open innovation. Learn more about other European Digital Infrastructure Consortiums (EDICs) and the NGI Commons initiative on the European Commission’s website
Join us at our Digital Commons Policy Summit to explore this topic further—don’t forget to register!