LibreOffice Criticizes Euro-Office for Defaulting to Microsoft Format Despite Sovereignty Claims
The Document Foundation's Italo Vignoli published an open letter accusing Euro-Office, a newly launched European productivity suite, of undermining digital sovereignty by defaulting to Microsoft's proprietary OOXML format rather than the open ODF standard. Euro-Office, developed by Nextcloud and Ionos as a fork of OnlyOffice, was marketed as a European alternative to Microsoft Office and a solution for digital independence. LibreOffice argues that using Microsoft's format makes Euro-Office complicit in Microsoft's content lock-in strategy, contradicting its sovereignty messaging.
The Document Foundation has publicly criticized Euro-Office, a newly launched European productivity suite that debuted on Monday, claiming it undermines rather than advances European digital sovereignty. Italo Vignoli, a founding member of The Document Foundation, published an open letter arguing that Euro-Office's default use of Microsoft's proprietary OOXML format—rather than the open, ISO-standardized ODF format—makes it a "de facto ally" of Microsoft's content lock-in strategy. Euro-Office, developed by German cloud company Nextcloud and hosting provider Ionos as a fork of OnlyOffice, was positioned as a sovereign European alternative to US software vendors and part of a broader continental push for digital independence. Vignoli also disputed Euro-Office's marketing claim of being the first open-source office suite developed in Europe, noting that OpenOffice.org (2001) and LibreOffice (2010) preceded it. The dispute represents the latest escalation in tensions surrounding Euro-Office, which has already faced criticism from OnlyOffice's original developer over the fork and its branding since the project's April announcement.
What's missing
The article does not explain why OOXML became the default for Euro-Office despite ODF alternatives, nor does it provide Euro-Office's response to these specific allegations (The Register notes they requested comment but hadn't received a reply at publication). Additionally, context on the practical implications of format choice for actual users and organizations would help readers understand the significance of this technical distinction.
How coverage differed
The Register presents this as a straightforward factual dispute about technical standards and marketing claims, allowing both LibreOffice's criticisms and Euro-Office's positioning to be stated without editorial judgment. The framing emphasizes the technical contradiction (sovereignty claims paired with Microsoft format dependency) rather than taking sides in the broader European digital sovereignty debate.
What different sources said
- The RegisterCenter
LibreOffice brands Euro-Office a 'de facto ally' of Microsoft's lock-in strategy
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