Uniting digital pioneers in Rotterdam: the DrupalCon Europe Government Summit

Digital transformation in the public sector is no longer just about building faster, cleaner websites. It is about control, security and total ownership over the tools we use to serve citizens.

That was the main thread running through the Government Summit on Monday 28 September at DrupalCon Europe in Rotterdam. With a refreshed schedule this year, the event launched with targeted summits covering Government, Higher Education, AI Dev, Open Social and Enterprise AI.

As the Lead Developer of LocalGov Drupal, I naturally gravitated to the Government Summit where I was joined by colleagues from Annertech and the LocalGov Drupal community.

Here is a look back at how the summit unfolded, why the conversations around digital sovereignty matter so much to public sector organisations, and what we took away from a day packed with collaboration.

Co-organising a sold-out summit

I helped to co-organise the Government Summit led by LocalGov Drupal’s Finn Lewis. In the weeks and months leading up to the summit, Finn really pulled out all the stops, working with a cast of contributors to put together a great line-up and cultivate a great vibe in the room on the day. 

The co-organisers and facilitators were proudly sporting the distinctive LocalGov Drupal T-shirts but it turned out not to be a distinguishing feature, as some delegates and speakers were wearing them too!
 

This was the first such round of summits at DrupalCon Europe. Initial tickets sold out rapidly, so the room and ticket availability were scaled up to meet demand. 

Attendees included representatives from the European Commission, the Dutch and UK government digital services, Open Forum Europe, and colleagues and leaders in the government sector from the Drupal community. 

One of the great highlights of the day for me was making some new connections and friends.

Public sector success 

Digital sovereignty

From local councils to European authorities, governments everywhere are hunting for the same thing: digital systems that actually work for the public. It’s clear that public sector publishing is undergoing a major shift toward digital sovereignty and open source tech.

The keynotes included addresses from Sachiko Muto, the Chief Executive Officer of OpenForum Europe, and Teun van der Vorm, General Director of Dienst ICT Uitvoering – a significant IT service provider within the Dutch government.

The summit included panel discussions, where challenges in digital sovereignty, adoption, sustainable growth and local government needs were debated, plus sessions and lightning talks on Qorum, the proposed new Committee Management System, the Europa Design System and Nextcloud to name a few. 

Digital sovereignty refers to total ownership of your digital ecosystem, from code and data to hosting infrastructure. It empowers organisations to operate independently, without reliance on proprietary software vendors or large tech monopolies.

However, achieving this across the public sector requires systemic change. Driving adoption of open source needs awareness, advocates, policy and legislation. As long as there is the opportunity to stay with or adopt ‘Big Tech’, adoption of open source will be slower than is healthy for achieving digital sovereignty.

Interactive workshops: connecting community and ideas

After lunch, Fei Lauren and LocalGov Drupal’s Aaron Hirtenstein led unconference style workshops. This included ice breakers, idea generation and a fun, human card-shuffling activity that had people moving around the room with smiles all around.

Beyond bringing everyone together, the afternoon yielded brilliant, actionable insights. One practical take away from the workshop was the idea of a “Bug Smash" format to try for LocalGov Drupal, which could gamify and encourage contribution to maintenance and the less attractive tasks that are essential.

Looking ahead

The Government Summit at DrupalCon Rotterdam proved that public sector digital leaders are ready to collaborate, share knowledge, and embrace open source to secure their digital sovereignty. 

From showcase projects like Luton Council to creative approaches for maintenance like Bug Smashes, the energy in Rotterdam highlighted the strength of our growing community.