German Petition Seeks Official Recognition of Open-Source Development as Volunteer Work

Summary

A petition to the German Bundestag calls for official recognition of open-source software development as volunteer work. The petition argues that open-source software forms the foundation of digital infrastructure across administration, economy, science, and daily life, and is even mentioned in the German government's coalition agreement as fundamental for digital sovereignty. However, the work of thousands of volunteers contributing to open-source projects is not recognized as volunteering, neither for tax purposes nor for funding opportunities, creating an imbalance between societal importance and legal status.