More than 100 European technology companies and organizations have appealed to the European Commission to radically change its approach to digital infrastructure, reducing dependence on American technologies. This is reported by TechCrunch, writes UNN.
Details
According to the media, in an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU digital chief Hanne Virkkunen, more than 80 signatories (representing about 100 organizations) said they want regional lawmakers to rethink current support measures, focusing them on promoting the adoption of domestic alternatives with the highest commercial potential - from applications, platforms and AI models to chips, computing, storage and connectivity.
Companies spanning areas such as cloud technology, telecommunications, defense, as well as several regional business and startup associations, signed the letter, which was sent to the Commission on Sunday, urging the bloc to shift its technology strategy to a quasi-military footing, committing to supporting a "sovereign digital infrastructure."
The plan aims to reduce dependence on foreign big tech companies by actively promoting the development of the so-called "Eurostack."
The idea of a European digital infrastructure did not come out of nowhere - in January, the Euro Stack article was published, written, among others, by competition economist Christina Caffarra, in which this strategy is outlined in some detail.
Over the past six months, there have also been separate discussions at conferences about the opportunities for Europeans to take advantage of a geopolitically complex moment to push for the EU to adopt a digital industrial strategy that would be directly aimed at supporting local innovation.
"Imagine Europe without internet search, email, or office software. That would mean a complete collapse of our society. Sounds unrealistic? Something similar just happened to Ukraine," TechCrunch was told by Wolfgang Oels, COO of Berlin-based tree-planting search engine Ecosia - one of the signatories who has already taken steps to reduce its dependence on US big tech providers.
Trump cut off access to vital infrastructure because Ukraine was not willing to give up its land and hand over its minerals. Europeans need sovereignty in critical infrastructures, and they cover not only energy and healthcare, but certainly also digital.
The coalition's message contains the first advice on actions regarding the European technology industry, as well as a strict warning about the dangers that the bloc faces by maintaining its current position.
Proponents of Euro Stack suggest that without urgent measures to stimulate demand for European technologies, there is a risk that American hyperscalers will completely take over critical digital infrastructure in areas such as cloud computing. They openly predict that: "Europe will lose digital innovation and productivity growth without massive and urgent changes."
At the current pace, our dependence on non-European technologies will become almost complete in less than three years.
What the technology industry coalition proposes:
- "Buy European" mandate;
It is required that EU public authorities procure at least part of their digital needs from European suppliers, thereby supporting local producers. This should stimulate demand and attract investment.
- investment in digital infrastructure;
The creation of a Sovereign Infrastructure Fund is proposed to support investments in key technology sectors, including microchips and quantum computing.
- consolidation and federation;
Encouraging European technology companies to work together, standardize, and integrate to create common platforms and infrastructure that will allow them to better compete with American giants.
"This means we will have to work with the industry again to quickly inventory resources, support open source solutions and interoperability (both technically and commercially), combine 'best-in-class' existing assets, support the implementation of integration platforms and low compliance barriers - while adhering to localization and security requirements," the letter states, advocating for prioritizing "projects that address core infrastructure needs, such as autonomy and security."
- support for local startups;
Support for European startups through the creation of subsidy mechanisms and incentives to switch to domestic suppliers and invest in innovative projects.
Rethinking the digital sovereignty strategy Proposal to review existing EU digital sovereignty strategies, emphasizing real commercial investments, rather than just academic or experimental R&D.
- data protection and sovereignty.
Implementation of requirements for public and private cloud services to ensure that sensitive data of European users is stored in sovereign clouds, protected from non-European extraterritorial laws.