Photos: Centre launched to promote open source

The launch event was also attended by Barbara Held, seconded national expert for e-government services at the European Commission. She insisted that the Commission is committed to encouraging software interoperability and open standards.

Held said: "I'm very sorry, there is no official open-source strategy. There is one for internal use. But going out to member states, there is no viewpoint."

"In the Commission, you will find people who are very distrustful of open source, and also open-source evangelists."

The Commission has recently faced controversy over a report it commissioned on open-source software, which calculated the positive impact open source could have on the European economy. Some industry observers suggested that the Commission's stance on open source might be changing, while the Commission denies any bias.

Held added that: "We promote the use of open source in public administrations", saying it was an important part of her department's mission. "Open source is a key element in interoperability and open standards. We want freedom of choice. And we might get better [quality] code.

"The National Open Centre is important because there is a lot of potential in that market. It is not only about governments. It is about information, and the dissemination of good practice. The more people know about open source, the more likely they are to implement it."