Europe Seeks to End Dangerous Dependence on US Internet Technology
By Johan Linåker, Lund University | Published January 21, 2026
Imagine a sudden, continent-wide digital blackout: payment systems in your local store fail; hospitals lose access to healthcare databases; your work software and data vanish; and social media platforms go dark, cutting off communication with family and friends. Such a scenario, while alarming, is not far-fetched. Technical failures, cyber-attacks, natural disasters, or geopolitical tensions could disrupt Europe’s digital infrastructure, exposing a perilous overreliance on internet technology provided predominantly by US-based companies.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, EU President Ursula von der Leyen underscored the urgency for Europe to achieve technological independence. She described this as a "structural imperative" to safeguard the continent’s digital sovereignty and security by reducing dependency on foreign technology providers.
The Scope of the Dependency
Today, a handful of American tech giants control the lion’s share of global cloud computing infrastructure—the backbone of modern digital services spanning apps, data storage, and processing. Companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud together hold approximately 70% of the European cloud market. By contrast, European cloud providers serve only about 15% of the market, which contributes to a concentration of risk.
Research shows that this concentration creates vulnerabilities for both public institutions and private enterprises. Disruptions in cloud services—whether due to technical faults, cyber incidents, or geopolitical conflict—can have widespread consequences. For instance, an AWS outage in October 2025 incapacitated thousands of services worldwide, affecting banking applications and digital platforms. Similarly, a Cloudflare failure in December 2025 caused major communication tools including LinkedIn and Zoom to go offline. Earlier in 2025, a massive power outage across Spain, Portugal, and parts of France also highlighted the fragility of digital infrastructure.
Preparing for a Digital Blackout
In response, European cities and regions are experimenting with crisis preparedness and taking steps toward digital sovereignty. Helsingborg, a coastal city in Sweden, has launched a year-long project simulating a complete digital blackout to assess how essential public services — such as medical prescription delivery and social care — would continue to function without digital support. The goal is to outline acceptable risk thresholds and develop best practices to enhance resilience that other regions can later adopt.
On a broader scale, northern Germany’s state of Schleswig-Holstein has embarked on a bold initiative to replace most of its Microsoft software with open-source alternatives, cutting nearly 70% of its licenses and working toward minimizing reliance on large tech firms by 2030. Across France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, governments are pooling resources to develop interoperable, open-source digital platforms for communication and document management. These platforms can be hosted locally or regionally, reducing dependence on foreign cloud providers.
Sweden’s National Insurance Agency has developed a sovereign digital collaboration system for chat and video, hosted on domestic data centers, which is being offered to other Swedish public agencies seeking secure, self-managed alternatives.
Toward a European Cloud and Digital Sovereignty
Europe’s move toward digital independence is supported by policy initiatives such as the EU’s cloud sovereignty framework, which guides procurement to ensure data remains under European control. The forthcoming Cloud and AI Development Act is expected to amplify this focus and provide additional resources.
Experts emphasize that digital infrastructure must be treated with the same importance as physical infrastructure—such as roads, ports, or energy grids. Control, maintenance, and readiness for crises should be considered essential public responsibilities rather than delegated entirely to multinational tech corporations whose interests may not always align with Europe’s.
The Role of Individuals
Beyond governments and companies, individuals can contribute by being mindful of where and how their digital data is stored, who has access to it, and how easily it can be backed up or transferred. Just as people prepare for physical emergencies with supplies, awareness about digital service choices fosters personal security and resilience.
While complete digital independence for any country or continent is neither feasible nor necessarily desirable, building robust, sovereign digital systems that can withstand shocks ensures continuity and security. Europe’s ambition is to cultivate a digital environment where services remain accessible and secure, even under crisis scenarios—mirroring expectations placed on traditional infrastructure.
For more in-depth information, visit The Conversation.
Keywords: cloud computing, Europe, digital sovereignty, EU policy, cybersecurity, open-source software, digital infrastructure, Ursula von der Leyen, AWS outage, Cloudflare incident, digital blackout preparedness
