Introduction the Open Source & EU Policy devroom

Sebastian Raible is Director EU Government affairs for APELL – The European Open Source Software Business Association. APELL represents European business associations and the Open Source industry. Among the businesses represented by APELL's members are primarily SMEs, some large companies, as well as public administrations, research institutions and individuals. As a computer scientist and political consultant, Sebastian has many years of experience with the Open Source ecosystem. Sebastian has worked as a policy advisor in the European Parliament from 2015-2024, and contributed to a range of relevant dossiers. Most recently, Sebastian was part of the Parliament's negotiating team for the Artificial Intelligence Act, the Product Liability Directive, and the Data Act.

Madalin is working as an EU Policy Advisor at OpenSSF with a focus on cybersecurity and open source software. He serves as a bridge between OpenSSF (and its community), other technical communities and policymakers, helping position OpenSSF as a trusted resource within the global and European policy landscape.

Paula Grzegorzewska is a Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships at the Linux Foundation Europe. Her expertise revolves around digital policy and open source software, as well as digital transformation of European public services. Previously, she worked in a leading Brussels-based think tank focused on open technologies and policy, where she led its engagement with European and global partners stemming from government, academia, not-for-profits and international institutions. She is a co-author of the 2021 European Commission’s study on the economic impact of open source software and hardware and other policy research reports. She also worked on closing the gender gap in ICT with an NGO in Luxembourg, and has a Master’s degree in New Media and Communications from Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

Claire is Mozilla Foundation’s Brussels-based Advocacy Lead. She connects Mozilla Foundation’s community to policy discussions that affect them and to which they can contribute, in particular in the areas of data agency, privacy, and the open web.