Panel: Competitiveness & Open Source in the Automotive Industry - EU Open Source Policy Summit 2026

Europe’s automotive sector is restructuring around software-defined mobility, with manufacturers, suppliers, open source organisations, and technology providers adopting shared development models to manage complexity and maintain strategic control. This session will examine how open source can strengthen competitiveness across the automotive value chain, drawing on perspectives from industry leaders, software suppliers, and the European Commission. Panellists will consider how collaborative platforms support interoperability, reduce duplication, and enable long-term capability, and how these industry efforts align with the Commission’s Automotive Action Plan and broader transport innovation agenda. The discussion will address the regulatory and organisational conditions needed to sustain shared development, ensure safety and compliance, and support deployment at scale. It will also explore how insights from software-defined vehicle initiatives can inform open approaches across other strategic sectors. Speakers: John Ellis (President & Head of Product, Codethink), Dr. Ing Sara Gallian (Senior Manager, SDV & Automotive Programs, Eclipse Foundation), Nicholas Gates (Senior Policy Advisor, OpenForum Europe), Christian Wege (Manager Open Source Software, Mercedes-Benz Group AG) & Dr. Detlef Zerfowski (Vice President, ETAS)