Denmark quietly ends Microsoft alternative pilot

Denmark has quietly ended a pilot project testing an open-source alternative to Microsoft’s office software, according to Swedish publication Techtidningen, which cites Danish newspaper Ingeniøren.

Last summer, Denmark’s Ministry of Digitalisation launched the project with 38 employees testing Collabora. The ministry presented the pilot as a first step toward greater digital sovereignty and less dependence on US technology giants. Then digitalisation minister Caroline Stage announced the initiative, which attracted widespread international attention.

The trial was discontinued several months ago, but no full evaluation has been presented, Techtidningen reports. The decision has prompted criticism and questions about how Denmark can reduce its dependence on technology providers. A digitalisation professor told Ingeniøren that it was regrettable the project ended without a proper evaluation of its results.