‘Reducing reliance on foreign tech infrastructure is key’ to European tech success – and its long-term survival

European policymakers are increasingly concerned about digital sovereignty, calling for the development of a technology ecosystem that's less dependent on big US tech firms.

At workspace platform Wire’s recent European Digital Sovereignty Summit in Brussels, MEPs, industry leaders, and digital experts called for the creation of a digital ecosystem reflecting what they described as European – rather than US – business values: democracy, transparency, and interoperability.

“Reducing reliance on foreign tech infrastructure is key to protecting democratic stability and data sovereignty, particularly given geopolitical risks," said Wire CEO Benjamin Schilz.

"Open source, interoperability and transparent standards are essential to build trust, avoid vendor lock-in, and strengthen resilience.”

Participants highlighted the risks of concentrated browser ownership, reliance on foreign cloud providers, and governance vulnerabilities within major platforms.

Notably, however, sovereignty must not mean isolation: Europe should remain open and globally engaged but anchored in its own standards and safeguards.

Jean-Phillipe Scherer, head of EU/NATO Public Affairs for Defence and Space at Airbus, called for a broader mindset shift through more European leadership and education.

“Individual priorities, rather than national sovereignty, are the greater barrier to European cooperation,” he said.

There were calls for practical reforms, stronger alignment across AI, semiconductor and cybersecurity policy, and for simplification within a deeper single market.

Strained relations create uncertainty

The unpredictability of the Trump administration in the US has intensified calls for European digital sovereignty, with figures including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and former head of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi, calling for action.

Just last week, the European Council proposed new regulations aiming to reduce dependence on US firms. This includes new proposals to “simplify the EU’s digital legislative framework and the implementation of harmonized rules on AI”.

“Streamlining the AI rules is essential for ensuring the EU’s digital sovereignty," said Marilena Raouna, deputy minister for European affairs of the Republic of Cyprus.

"The proposal will bring greater legal certainty, make the rules more proportionate and ensure more harmonised implementation across member states."

In the UK, calls are growing for a stronger focus on digital sovereignty, with industry stakeholders harboring significant concerns on transatlantic overreliance.

A survey of over 1,000 UK IT leaders from Civo last year found that more than 60% believed the UK government should cut its use of US cloud services.

Key concerns included exposing the country’s digital economy to significant risks with regard to data security, and the impact providers have on the domestic cloud industry.

The Atlantic Council recently warned that Trump’s close connections with leading tech executives means that the US administration’s combative posture toward European tech regulation is likely to continue causing friction.

"Whether a continued focus by the Trump administration on Europe’s digital rules will create an even stronger push in Europe for an exclusive form of digital sovereignty is not yet evident," commented fellows Frances Burwell and Kenneth Propp.

"What is clear is that without some guidelines, such as those offered in the conclusions to this report, the European Union and United States might find that their differences regarding digital sovereignty and digital rules make creating and maintaining an open transatlantic digital marketplace much more challenging."

Big tech is acting

Aware of the issue, US tech firms are making efforts to calm European business concerns, particularly with the launch of dedicated sovereign cloud services,

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and Google Cloud have all made moves on this front. Yet despite proactive efforts, lingering doubts still persist.

As these companies are subject to the US Cloud Act, which allows US law enforcement to demand access to data – even when that’s stored outside the US – European industry stakeholders continue to voice concerns.

Last year, Microsoft president Brad Smith claimed the tech giant would take the US government to court if forced to comply with data requests by the US administration.

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