EU wants Europe to rely less on American tech

The European Commission wants Europe to rely less on American technology companies.

The plan focuses on cloud services, AI infrastructure, data centres, chips and open source software. The goal is to give European governments, companies and citizens more choice and more control over their data.

At the moment, much of Europe’s digital life runs on services from American companies such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon. Email, cloud storage, streaming, business software and AI tools often depend on these providers.

The Commission wants to change that balance. One goal is to triple European data centre capacity within 7 years. The EU also wants to support research and innovation so that the next generation of cloud and AI technology can be developed in Europe.

The plan is not only about business competition. It is about digital sovereignty. That means Europe wants the ability to make its own choices about critical digital infrastructure.

This matters for hospitals, energy networks, government systems, financial institutions and public services. If these systems depend heavily on companies outside Europe, political or legal pressure abroad can create risk.

A recent example often mentioned in the debate is the International Criminal Court in The Hague. After US sanctions against the court’s chief prosecutor, access to Microsoft email was lost. The court later moved to open source software.

The EU also wants more use of open source software, especially by governments. Open source code can be inspected, adapted and shared. Supporters say it reduces dependence on a small number of large suppliers.

There are challenges. Building data centres requires energy, space, water and public acceptance. The Commission says new data centre growth must be sustainable and supported by enough green electricity.

The plans also need political approval from the European Parliament and EU member states.

The debate will not be simple. American tech companies are deeply embedded in European work and daily life. Switching systems can be expensive, slow and technically difficult.

Still, the direction is clear. Europe wants more control over the digital foundations of its economy.

The question is whether European alternatives can become strong enough, affordable enough and easy enough to use.