Europe Warns Digital Dependence on US Tech Giants Threatens Innovation and Sovereignty
Brussels, Friday, 2 January 2026.
European cybersecurity experts are sounding alarms that the continent’s heavy reliance on American technology companies is undermining digital sovereignty and stifling local innovation. With over 70% of European cloud contracts going to US Big Three providers, officials warn this dependency creates vulnerabilities under American laws like the Cloud Act, which allows US government data access regardless of location. The concern has intensified with Trump’s return to the White House and recent US sanctions against European regulators, prompting calls for strategic investment in homegrown tech capabilities.
Belgium Cybersecurity Chief Sounds Sovereignty Alarm
Miguel De Bruycker, director of the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium, has issued stark warnings about Europe’s technological dependency, stating that achieving complete data sovereignty within EU borders remains unrealistic under current market conditions [1]. “If I want to keep my information one hundred percent within the EU: keep dreaming,” De Bruycker declared, highlighting the fundamental challenge facing European policymakers [1]. His assessment underscores how core technologies like cloud computing and artificial intelligence are dominated by US companies, making it nearly impossible to store and process data entirely within Europe [1]. The Belgian cybersecurity expert emphasizes that Europe has largely ceded control of the internet to American tech companies, a situation that undermines both innovation capacity and cyber resilience [1].
Market Dominance Creates Strategic Vulnerabilities
The scale of European dependency on American cloud services has reached concerning levels, with over 70 percent of European cloud contracts currently flowing to the American ‘Big Three’ providers [2]. This market concentration creates significant strategic vulnerabilities, particularly given the legal framework governing US technology companies. The American Cloud Act of 2018 grants the US government jurisdiction over American entities regardless of their geographical location, meaning European data stored with US providers remains subject to American legal demands [3]. Recent service disruptions have demonstrated the real-world impact of this dependency, with Microsoft Azure and Amazon AWS outages in the weeks before December 3, 2025, disrupting critical Dutch services including OV-fiets, DigiD, the Tax Authority, KPN, and multiple banks [3].
Geopolitical Tensions Accelerate European Response
The return of Donald Trump to the White House has intensified European concerns about technological sovereignty, with industry experts describing the situation as “Trump 2.0” creating new urgency around independence initiatives [4]. The geopolitical dimension became starkly apparent in December 2024 when the US government imposed visa and entry bans on five European officials, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton, in response to their roles in regulating American tech companies [5]. According to the US State Department, these officials led ‘organized attempts’ to force American platforms to ‘censor and suppress American viewpoints’ [5]. Breton, who was instrumental in developing the European Digital Services Act (DSA), characterized the sanctions as a ‘McCarthyist witch hunt’ and noted that the DSA enjoys support from 90 percent of the European Parliament and all 27 EU member states [5]. The European Commission responded strongly, stating it would ‘react swiftly and resolutely to defend our regulatory autonomy’ if necessary [5].
The Airbus Model for European Tech Independence
European leaders are looking to successful precedents like Airbus as a model for breaking American technological dominance in the digital sphere [2]. Florence Jestin from Airbus has emphasized the need for long-term thinking, noting that Airbus itself required decades to become profitable and compete effectively with Boeing [2]. The aerospace giant’s approach to digital sovereignty reflects a pragmatic strategy: while Airbus continues to use services from AWS, Google, and Microsoft, these American providers are explicitly excluded from the company’s most critical applications and services [4]. This selective approach demonstrates how European organizations can balance operational efficiency with strategic independence. Jestin advocates for European governments to not only provide subsidies but to prioritize European suppliers as the first choice in their own IT contracts, creating the scale and political backing necessary to challenge American technological hegemony [2].