Speaker: Emiel Brok
The international landscape is shifting beneath our feet, and the disruptions we face can feel overwhelming. My message today is simple, yet profound: when facing global uncertainty, don’t fight. Instead, let’s learn to dance.
See, a dance is a partnership. In a dance, you don't dominate your partner; you move together, anticipating and reacting. This is how we should view our relationships with other nations. To dance effectively, each partner must be able to stand on their own feet, maintain balance, and not be too vulnerable to the movements of others.
This brings us to the core of being sovereign by design. Sovereignty isn’t a binary state—it’s not a simple case of black and white. There are many levers we can adjust to determine how sovereign we truly are. This includes everything from our digital infrastructure and data policies to our economic resilience and supply chains. By pulling these levers intentionally, we can become more robust, more resilient, and better partners on the global stage.
We can be open by design and sovereign by design. Let’s build a future where we don’t just survive the storm, but dance through it, together.
About Emiel
Emiel Brok is a highly passionate advocate for Open Source Software, with over 20 years of experience in the field. As an Open Source Ambassador at SUSE, he travels the world with Geeko to spread the message that the world would be a better place if all software were open source. He is a Co-Founder and Board Member of DOSBA (Dutch Open Source Business Alliance) and a Board Member of APELL (European Open Source Business Alliance). Prior to his work at SUSE and the alliances, he worked at a Dutch agnostic open source company and co-founded LPI Netherlands (Linux Professional Institute). Emiel is a sought-after speaker on the topics of Open Source and Digital Sovereignty, and also serves as chairman of the day at various IT events, such as ICT Netwerk Nijmegen. Additionally, he is active online on social media, where he hosts a YouTube show called The Friday Ketchup.