Europe accelerated its shift away from American digital services and software.

Large European countries are abandoning American clouds

In Europe, there is a growing trend to reject digital services from major American companies and switch to domestic or free alternatives. The reason – concerns about excessive dependence on non‑European software and the desire for technological sovereignty, reports AP.

Why this matters
- Containing external influence

In the face of possible pressure from the United States, officials fear that large “Silicon Valley” firms could restrict access to their products. After Microsoft blocked the email of International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan due to President Trump’s sanctions, anxiety intensified.

- Promise of continuous support

Microsoft stated it maintained contact with the ICC throughout the process of disconnecting its representative from the company’s services. However, the very act of blocking raised fears about an “emergency switch” that could be used to arbitrarily terminate services.

Real examples of transition
Region / Country | What was replaced | Email | File sharing | Office software | Mobile & video communication | Local administrations
---|---|---|---|---|---|---
Schleswig‑Holstein (Germany) | 44,000 Microsoft accounts → open‑source email | SharePoint → Nextcloud | Microsoft 365 → LibreOffice | Windows → Linux; phones and conferences – open solutions | France (Lyon), Denmark (Copenhagen, Aarhus) | Switch to free office suites

In Austria the military already uses LibreOffice instead of Microsoft 365. Their concern is that standard LibreOffice does not store files in the cloud, whereas Microsoft offers only a cloud model.

Italy, according to a Document Foundation representative, adopted similar software several years ago due to the lack of need to pay for licenses. Today the main motivation is rejecting proprietary systems and maintaining control over data.

Conclusions from European officials
- Henna Virkkunen (European Commission) noted that “Europe’s dependence on external players can become an instrument of pressure.”
- German Minister of Digitalization Dirk Schröder emphasized: “We aim for independence from large technology giants and digital sovereignty.”

Thus, Europe is actively moving to open solutions to reduce the risk of political interference and strengthen its own technological autonomy.