The final chapter of the EU Radio Equipment Directive

In the 45th episode of the FSFE Software Freedom Podcast, I joined Alexander Sander and Bonnie Mehring to discuss what is hopefully the final chapter of the EU Radio Equipment Directive (RED). This was a fitting conversation on the way to FOSDEM 2026, reflecting on nearly a decade of work to protect Free Software on radio devices. The discussion traced the complete arc of this campaign, from my initial discovery of the problematic Article 3(3)(i) back in 2015 to the final stages of (non-)implementation in 2025.

I shared the origin story of the FSFE’s involvement: as a working student in 2015, I printed out the entire Radio Equipment Directive at the university printer and read through it word by word, marking Article 3(3)(i) as problematic because it threatened to effectively mandate device lockdown that would prevent users from installing Free and Open Source Software on routers, smart home devices, and other radio equipment. What followed was years of advocacy work, legal analysis, coalition building with 48 organizations through our Joint Statement, and continuous engagement with the European Commission and ETSI. When I moved to Deutsche Bahn in 2022, Alex took over the campaign leadership and continued the work with my ongoing support and insights.

The podcast provided an opportunity to discuss the latest developments in 2025 as the delegated act for Article 3(3)(i) reached its final stage, and to reflect on what this decade-long campaign taught us about effective policy work: the importance of early detection of problematic regulations, building broad coalitions beyond the immediate Open Source community, providing constructive technical solutions rather than just criticism, and maintaining persistent engagement across political cycles. Whether this truly marks the “final chapter” remains to be seen, but the podcast captured an important moment in an activity that has been central to my work for most of my professional life at the FSFE.