March 8, 2026
Cells of controversy
LibreOffice: Request to the European Commission to adhere to its own guidances
EU adds open spreadsheets after online roast — oversight or Microsoft lock-in
TLDR: The EU quickly added an open-format spreadsheet after getting called out for requiring Excel. Comments split: some say it was a harmless oversight, others call it structural bias toward Microsoft, and many ask why feedback needs a spreadsheet at all — because access to policymaking matters.
The internet caught the European Commission trying to collect feedback on the Cyber Resilience Act (rules to make tech safer) using only Microsoft Excel files. LibreOffice fired off a polite-but-spicy request, and the comments lit up. Some saw it as a “Microsoft license to participate” moment; others said, chill, bureaucrats just grabbed the default template. Cue jokes about “Spreadsheetocracy,” “cells of democracy,” and whether policy should be shaped in column B. Within 24 hours, DG CONNECT — that’s the EU’s tech department — added an Open Document Format (ODF) version, the open, standard-friendly option. Quick win, applause all around. But the thread didn’t stop there. One camp shrugged: simple oversight. Another camp said: structural bias is the point — picking a proprietary format nudges everyone toward one company. And a third camp asked the real question: why are we even doing feedback via a spreadsheet? Seriously. If you’re new here: .xlsx = Microsoft’s Excel file; ODF = the open, vendor-neutral format used by LibreOffice. The vibe? A mix of “nice catch,” “please be competent,” and “can we stop putting democracy in a pivot table.” Bonus meme: “EU just Ctrl+Z’d hypocrisy.” Links: DG CONNECT, Cyber Resilience Act
Key Points
- •The European Commission added an ODS version of the CRA guidance feedback spreadsheet on March 6.
- •DG CONNECT implemented the change within 24 hours of receiving the request.
- •The original feedback template required submissions in Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) format only.
- •The request argued that exclusive use of .xlsx conflicted with EU commitments to open standards and interoperability.
- •Following the addition of ODS, the prior call for action was withdrawn as no longer necessary.