[6] Software has been licensed under the EUPL[7] since the launch of the European Open Source Observatory and Repository (OSOR) in October 2008, now part of Joinup collaborative platform.

[8] Although private individuals can utilize the EUPL, its primary users to date have been governments, administrations, and local authorities.

[9] EUPL was originally intended to be used for the distribution of software developed in the framework of the IDABC programme.

Its main goal is its focusing on being consistent with the copyright law in the Member States of the European Union, while retaining compatibility with popular free software licences such as the GNU General Public License.

[17] In 2020, the European Commission publishes its Joinup Licensing Assistant,[18] which makes possible the selection and comparison of more than 50 licences, with access to their SPDX identifier and full text.

This must stay compatible with the normal use of program B and cannot prejudice the legitimate interest of the copyright holder of B.

While recitals in EU Directives and Regulations are not considered to have independent legal value, they can expand an ambiguous provision's scope.

[dubious – discuss] For this reason, the German lawyer Niklas Plutte created for the EUPL the new category of "Interoperable copyleft licence".

[28] As from 2010, EU member states adopt or revise policies aimed to encourage – when appropriate – the open source distribution of public sector applications.