It sounded like a good idea to officials in Italy’s central Tuscany region. The regional council passed a law that encouraged government IT managers to use open-source software.There’s just one problem. According to a top minister in Rome, the Tuscan law is written to favor open-source technology at the expense of competition with proprietary options. And the way the rules are written, it could violate European Union free market rules.The law went into effect in Tuscany on Jan. 30, citing as a guiding principle: “The promotion, support and preferential use of solutions based on open-source programs, respecting the principle of technological neutrality.”That apparently contradictory wording sparked debate in Rome. Lucio Stanca, the government’s innovation and technologies minister, warned that the guidelines could interfere with the workings of the free market. Stanca, a former IT professional and 30-year veteran of IBM, told Italy’s parliament in May that the Tuscan law, “if incorrectly interpreted, could influence equal opportunities on the market, violating competition laws to the detriment of other solutions, such as proprietary systems that can be acquired by license.”Stanca himself had issued a directive in February calling on the civil service to consider open-source applications in IT purchasing as a way to broaden choices. “You have to choose the best solution in terms of value for money,” Stanca said. “My approach is very pragmatic, not ideological. If they have a preferential approach, that is wrong.” Carla Guidi, the Tuscan regional councillor responsible for IT, insisted there was no conflict between the region and the minister. The law “is intended to broaden the market and certainly not to exclude anyone,” she says. The debate aside, Stanca has expressed satisfaction at the increasing rate of open-source software use in the Italian civil service over the past two years. Italy is now fourth in the world for the percentage of its IT professionals engaged in open-source software development, Stanca told Parliament recently. Related content feature Red Hat embraces hybrid cloud for internal IT The maker of OpenShift has leveraged its own open container offering to migrate business-critical apps to AWS as part of a strategy to move beyond facilitating hybrid cloud for others and capitalize on the model for itself. By Paula Rooney May 29, 2023 5 mins CIO 100 Technology Industry Hybrid Cloud feature 10 most popular IT certifications for 2023 Certifications are a great way to show employers you have the right IT skills and specializations for the job. These 10 certs are the ones IT pros are most likely to pursue, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White May 26, 2023 8 mins Certifications Careers interview Stepping up to the challenge of a global conglomerate CIO role Dr. Amrut Urkude became CIO of Reliance Polyester after his company was acquired by Reliance Industries. He discusses challenges IT leaders face while transitioning from a small company to a large multinational enterprise, and how to overcome them. By Yashvendra Singh May 26, 2023 7 mins Digital Transformation Careers brandpost With the new financial year looming, now is a good time to review your Microsoft 365 licenses By Veronica Lew May 25, 2023 5 mins Lenovo Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe