Go Vocal, the Brussels-based leader in digital democracy solutions, has acquired French pioneer Open Source Politics (OSP), consolidating its position as Europe’s foremost provider of civic engagement infrastructure.
The strategic move comes as newly elected municipal governments across France seek robust tools to fulfill their participatory democracy pledges.
Together, the combined entity now serves over 750 governments in 20+ countries – from Utrecht and Vienna to Bordeaux and Nice – reaching nearly 10 million citizens.
The merger addresses a critical gap in Europe’s civic tech landscape: while governments have invested in digital participation, most solutions remain fragmented or lack the depth required for meaningful engagement.
Go Vocal and OSP, both recognized for their local expertise and international reach, are uniting to build a scalable, pan-European platform that meets the demands of modern democratic institutions. "Instead of building the same tools separately, we’re joining forces to move faster and serve governments better", said Wietse Van Ransbeeck, CEO and Co-Founder of Go Vocal.
For OSP, the acquisition resolves a strategic dilemma. Its open-source platform needed significant investment to keep pace with client needs, while simultaneously advancing its European software initiative, LaSuite.coop.
Rather than dilute resources, OSP’s founders chose Go Vocal as the ideal partner to elevate their clients’ capabilities. "By joining Go Vocal, we’re giving our clients access to a powerful, internationally recognized platform and giving democratic ambition the scale it deserves", noted Valentin Chaput, Managing Director and Co-Founder of OSP.
The combined platform will empower cities like Marseille, Lyon, and Toulouse with Go Vocal’s AI-driven tools, which synthesize citizen input into actionable insights and streamline cross-team collaboration for civil servants.
As democratic institutions face global challenges, Go Vocal and OSP are betting on a future where technology enables meaningful participation at scale. "Europe needs a robust, independent player in digital democracy and we’re building it", Van Ransbeeck affirmed.
