Croatian Government Adopts Free Software Policy in State Administration

18 July 2006

Last week, on July 12, the Government of Croatia adopted an official document titled Directions for Development and Use of Open Source Code Computer Programmes in Bodies and Institutions of State Administration. In the document, the Government accepts the responsibility to develop, prepare and procure open-source software solutions in the development of information systems of state administration bodies.

This policy is motivated, according to the document, by the fact that proprietary software leads to great dependence on suppliers, which can damage the market competition. Furthermore, open source programmes increase the transparency of administration�s work and free access to information. Ultimately, the document states that the use of open source based solutions will reduce the unjustified budget spending and strengthen the domestic information science industry.

In addition to its fine argument on the need to introduce free software in administration, the document lists ten directions and recommendations for future government action in that area. Although the directions don�t offer concrete requirements and quantities (for instance, the targeted share of open source software solutions), as well as deadline for implementation, but they do introduce clear imperatives that can, in the worst possible case, be used as strong advocacy basis.

The whole document is available as PDF document at the web-site of the Central National Bureau for e-Croatia.