Reclaiming the Stack: Europe’s Bid for Digital Sovereignty

The intertwining of technology and politics has grown undeniably prominent, particularly in the United States, where the boundaries between Silicon Valley and Washington D.C. are increasingly blurred.

During President Trump's inauguration, the chief executives of Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet occupied significant seating, even preceding cabinet nominees – a clear indication of the deep integration between US tech behemoths and national policy objectives. Shortly before this, outgoing President Biden had cautioned about the emergence of a "tech industrial complex."

This trend extends beyond mere symbolism. It signifies a larger strategic reorientation: American tech companies are integrating with a domestic industrial approach that views cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and digital infrastructure as instruments of geopolitical influence. For Europe, the ramifications of this development are becoming increasingly difficult to overlook.

The Stirrings of European Autonomy

Subsequently, France's AI and digital minister has issued a warning regarding digital "predators" that threaten to erode European autonomy. In Germany, government bodies have begun to transition away from Microsoft Teams, opting instead for homegrown collaboration solutions. Concurrently, Denmark is implementing a nationwide shift towards open-source Linux systems.

TNW City Coworking space - Where your best work happens

A workspace designed for growth, collaboration, and endless networking opportunities in the heart of tech.

These occurrences are not isolated; rather, they mark the initial phases of a burgeoning digital sovereignty movement, propelled equally by practical considerations and political will. For Europe, regaining command over its digital infrastructure is no longer a marginal concept but a crucial strategic necessity.

The Perils of Digital Dependence

Europe's reliance on foreign hyperscale providers is profound and deeply rooted. The bulk of its governmental services, healthcare frameworks, and private sector infrastructure operate on platforms managed by Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google. This pervasive dependency has remained largely unaddressed, becoming evident only recently.

The CLOUD Act and Vendor Lock-in

Take, for example, the US CLOUD Act, which grants American authorities the ability to access data housed on US-owned servers, irrespective of whether that data is physically located in Europe. For EU citizens and businesses, this presents an inherent conflict: their data is simultaneously governed by local privacy regulations such as GDPR and by foreign surveillance legislation over which they have no control.

Vendor lock-in further complicates this issue. Numerous organizations discover they are confined to proprietary ecosystems offering limited data portability, preventing them from easily migrating or duplicating workloads across different providers without incurring substantial expense or risk. Compounding this, crucial operational decisions—like product updates, pricing adjustments, or data management policies—are frequently made without any European involvement.

Cloud infrastructure has evolved into a critical component of national infrastructure. The pertinent question is no longer merely if its control matters, but rather the consequences when that control resides thousands of miles away, within distinct jurisdictions with divergent national interests.

Europe Takes Action

European governments are commencing proactive measures. France has channeled significant investments into native cloud initiatives, bolstering providers like OVHcloud and funding sovereign platforms endorsed with “SecNumCloud” certification. Germany, in parallel, has implemented measures to lessen its dependence on non-European providers throughout its federal agencies. For Denmark, the transition to Linux extends beyond mere cost efficiency; it encompasses control, transparency, and security—a stance perhaps unsurprising given former President Trump’s expressed "interest" in Greenland.

These actions are neither reactive nor purely symbolic. They signify a wider movement towards digital self-determination, acknowledging sovereignty as a cornerstone of resilience. For an extended period, Europe’s digital future was delegated. Now, an increasing awareness dictates that genuine independence necessitates command over the entire digital stack, encompassing everything from infrastructure and identity to data and application logic.

A Strategic Imperative, Not Protectionism

This evolving movement is not fueled by anti-American sentiment, nor does it advocate for economic protectionism. European digital sovereignty does not represent a rejection of global collaboration; instead, it signifies a strategic re-evaluation of risk.

Both governments and businesses are recognizing that genuine resilience cannot be attained by excessive dependence on a limited array of providers. When critical infrastructure is predominantly controlled by a mere handful of foreign vendors, the entire system becomes fragile rather than robust.

Foundations for a Resilient Digital Future:

Open standards and protocols

Open-source software

Multi-vendor and multi-cloud architectures

Data portability

Sovereign identity and access management (IAM)

Specifically concerning identity and access management, open protocols such as OAuth and OpenID Connect facilitate multi-cloud orchestration. This capability ensures that an organization's identity layer can remain consistent and secure, even when switching providers or deploying in a new geographic region—a vital feature amidst geopolitical instability and escalating cyber threats.

Charting the Course to Digital Sovereignty

The journey towards digital sovereignty doesn't necessitate an upheaval, but it does require sustained focus and diligent execution.

A pragmatic strategy commences with a thorough audit of current digital dependencies, extending beyond just infrastructure to encompass the entire digital stack. Subsequently, organizations must pinpoint areas where resilience and portability are most vulnerable, and where they face the greatest exposure to external decisions beyond their influence.

This evaluation should then guide a phased diversification strategy. Such a strategy might involve progressively migrating workloads to sovereign cloud environments, embracing open-source alternatives to proprietary software, or disaggregating critical components—like authentication or API management—from single-vendor ecosystems.

Governments have a crucial role, extending beyond mere policy and procurement to include investing in vital skills and fostering local innovation ecosystems. Sovereignty is not a simple compliance item; it is an enduring capability that demands continuous support for its establishment and upkeep.

The Choice is Europe's

In a global landscape where digital systems underpin virtually every facet of existence—from education and healthcare to finance and national defense—the control of infrastructure transcends a mere technical concern. It is fundamentally a matter of strategic independence.

Europe faces a critical decision: either persist in relying on foreign platforms for its most sensitive digital operations, or invest in a future it can genuinely claim as its own.

Sovereignty is not synonymous with isolation; it is about agency—the inherent power to sculpt a digital future that genuinely reflects European values, legal frameworks, and enduring interests.

Gustafjoined Curity as CEO in June 2024, bringing over 15 years of leadership experience from app security firm Promon, where he served as CEO for nine years. He has also held chief executive roles at ExpertMaker and Atex Polopoly, with a background spanning product, digital strategy, and corporate communications. A recognised voice in identity and API security, Gustaf is passionate about advancing modern, secure digital infrastructure at scale.

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.