European Commission renews controversial Microsoft software contract

[JMH]

The European Commission has renewed a controversial Microsoft software contract according to reports.

Computer Weekly revealed on Thursday that the EC Directorate for Informatics (Digit) renewed its €49m contract with Microsoft reseller Fujitsu on 8 December, only a day after the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) launched a campaign against the deal. The contract was not due for renewal until February.

The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) opposes the European Commission’s software contracts across all areas. In December the EC signed a six-year software deal with Netherlands-based PC Ware. FSFE called the contract a “rough deal for Europe” and said that the EC’s decision to spend 189 million euros (£158m) on proprietary software was “in direct contradiction to its own decisions and guidelines.”

European Commission renews controversial Microsoft software contract | WinRumors