- Denmark will replace Windows and Office by Linux and LibreOffice in its Ministry of Digitalization.
- The measure seeks greater digital sovereignty and reduces dependence on US suppliers.
- The transition will be gradual, with plans to roll back if major problems arise.
- The change is inspired by economic, political and privacy concerns.
The Danish government has taken a significant step in its digital independence strategy by announcing the progressive elimination of the OS from Microsoft in its Ministry of Digitalization and the replacement of the popular Office suite by free software alternatives such as Linux and LibreOfficeThis initiative aims to strengthen the country's technological autonomy and reduce its dependence on foreign companies, especially American ones, in a context of growing geopolitical tensions.
This decision, led by the Minister for Digitalisation, Caroline Stage, comes at a time when Data protection and digital sovereignty are priorities on the Danish political agenda.Following several political disagreements and growing concerns about the influence of large foreign technology companies, both at the state and local levels, Denmark is joining other countries and regions moving toward greater independence from proprietary software giants.
Strategic change in the Ministry of Digitalization
As Minister Caroline Stage explained, The process will begin this summer by removing Windows from half of the ministry's computers.. If the implementation does not encounter any setbacks, it is expected that all staff adopt Linux as their operating system by fall, and that the replacement of Office 365 with LibreOffice will be completed before winter.
The executive is prepared to make the transition as painless as possible: If technical or adaptation difficulties arise, a temporary return to Microsoft solutions is contemplated. until safe migration is guaranteed. The minister insists that "we cannot move forward without taking the first step," and assures that, for the moment, ministerial staff have received the news with a positive attitude, although she acknowledges that change always poses challenges.
Underlying motivations: economy, privacy and international context
The movement fits into a broader national strategy to reduce dependence on US technological infrastructureRecent diplomatic tensions, particularly in the wake of former President Donald Trump's policies, and concerns about the control and privacy of data managed by US companies have accelerated this shift in both the central government and local and regional administrations.
Cities such as Copenhagen and Aarhus had already initiated similar processes, arguing among other things that significant economic savingsFor example, in Aarhus, switching from Microsoft services to open-source solutions and European providers is expected to reduce annual costs for the digital department from €70.000 to €30.000, while overall municipal spending on Microsoft services has nearly doubled in five years.
A growing trend in Europe
Denmark is not alone in this path: several European regions have previously experimented with migrating to free software, as was the case in Spain with the Guadalinex and LinEx projects. However, The main challenge is usually in the training and acceptance of workersAlong these lines, while the Danish Ministry assures that it has the support of its staff, previous experiences in other municipalities have shown that the transition can be complex for some employees, who perceive a change of this magnitude as an additional difficulty in their daily work.
Future steps and possible setbacks
The minister has made it clear that this transformation will be gradual and cautious. The goal is to operate in a Microsoft-free environment in the coming months, although the government maintains a contingency plan to ensure the functioning of public services in the event of unforeseen complications.
This movement of Denmark represents a relevant example within the European trend to strengthen digital autonomy and seek independent technological solutions, both to improve data management and to optimize public spending and adapt to new political and economic realities.
Denmark is positioning itself as a European benchmark in digital sovereignty, paving the way for other institutions that may be considering adopting open source solutions in their processes.
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