Reclaiming the technological framework: Europe’s pursuit of digital independence.

      The intersection of technology and politics has become increasingly prominent, particularly in the United States, where the divide between Silicon Valley and Washington is diminishing rapidly. At President Trump’s inauguration, the leaders of Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet occupied key positions — even ahead of cabinet nominees — clearly indicating the close connection between major US tech companies and national policy priorities. Just days earlier, outgoing President Biden had highlighted the emergence of a growing "tech industrial complex."

      This is more than mere symbolism; it marks a significant trend: US tech firms are aligning with a domestic industrial strategy that considers cloud services, AI, and digital infrastructure as essential elements of geopolitical influence. Europe is beginning to confront the ramifications.

      France's AI and digital minister has raised concerns about "digital predators" threatening European independence. In Germany, government agencies have started replacing Microsoft Teams with domestic collaboration tools. Meanwhile, Denmark is undergoing a nationwide transition to open-source Linux systems.

      These actions are part of a larger narrative. They signify the beginnings of a digital sovereignty movement — driven by both practical considerations and political motives. For Europe, reclaiming control over its digital infrastructure has evolved from a marginal notion to a strategic necessity.

      A significant reliance

      Europe has a deep and historical dependence on foreign hyperscalers. Most government services, healthcare systems, and private sector infrastructures operate on platforms managed by Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google. This reliance has become so ingrained that it has gone largely unnoticed until recently.

      Take the US CLOUD Act, which grants American authorities the ability to access data stored on US-owned servers, even if that data resides in Europe. For EU citizens and businesses, this creates a fundamental contradiction as their data is subject to local privacy regulations like the GDPR and to foreign surveillance laws outside their control.

      Vendor lock-in worsens the situation. Numerous organizations find themselves entrenched in proprietary ecosystems with limited transferability, unable to move or replicate workloads across different providers without incurring substantial costs or risks. Furthermore, operational choices, including product modifications, pricing, or data usage guidelines, are increasingly made without European input.

      Cloud infrastructure has become critical infrastructure. The question is no longer whether it matters who controls it, but rather what consequences arise when that control is thousands of miles away, governed by differing jurisdictions with different priorities.

      Europe's digital awareness

      European governments are starting to take action. France has begun to make significant investments in domestic cloud projects, backing providers like OVHcloud and investing in platforms certified as "SecNumCloud." Germany is also working to lessen its dependence on non-European providers within federal agencies. In Denmark, the transition to Linux is driven by concerns of control, transparency, and security, not just cost savings — especially given Trump's "interest" in Greenland.

      These initiatives are neither reactive nor symbolic. They represent a broader shift towards digital self-determination — acknowledging sovereignty as a crucial foundation for resilience. For too long, Europe’s digital future has been outsourced. Now, there is a growing recognition that genuine independence necessitates owning all components — from infrastructure and identity to data and application logic.

      Resilience over nationalism

      This movement isn’t rooted in anti-American sentiment, nor is it a call for economic protectionism. European digital sovereignty does not reject global collaboration; instead, it recalibrates risk.

      Governments and organizations are increasingly aware that resilience cannot be achieved through excessive dependence on a limited number of providers. When infrastructure is dominated by a few foreign vendors, it becomes fragile rather than robust.

      Europe should advance toward a more resilient framework defined by:

      - Local hosting with distinct jurisdictional control.

      - Open standards to prevent vendor lock-in.

      - Open-source platforms offering transparency and adaptability.

      - Diverse provider ecosystems that foster innovation and flexibility.

      For identity and access management, open protocols like OAuth and OpenID Connect facilitate multi-cloud orchestration. This capability ensures that if an organization needs to change providers or host in a new location, their identity framework remains secure and consistent — an essential feature in a climate of geopolitical uncertainty and rising cyber threats.

      A practical route to digital sovereignty

      Achieving digital sovereignty does not call for a revolutionary shift; it requires dedicated focus and execution.

      A practical strategy starts with assessing current digital dependencies — not just at the infrastructure level, but throughout the entire digital stack. Organizations should then pinpoint where resilience and portability are weakest, and where they face the most exposure to external decisions beyond their control.

      This evaluation should guide a gradual diversification strategy, which could include shifting workloads to sovereign clouds, adopting open-source alternatives to proprietary solutions, or decoupling critical elements — such as authentication or API management — from single-vendor setups.

      Governments also have a vital role in policy, procurement, and investing in local skills and innovation ecosystems. Sovereignty is not a simple task to check off; it is a capability that necessitates ongoing support to cultivate and sustain.

      Deciding the future

      In a world where digital systems influence every aspect of life, from education and healthcare to finance and national defense, control of infrastructure