Europe Moves to End Reliance on US IT Technology

The German armed forces has signed an agreement with the government owned Center for Digital Soverignty (ZenDis) for development of an open-source platform that should replace the Microoft M365 in the Bundeswehr.

The Netherlands’ parliament has approved a series of motions calling on the government to reduce dependence on U.S. software companies, including by creating a cloud services platform under Dutch control.

The EU is also in talks about slashing and simplifying the GDPR regulations, that have been identified as a major hinder to IT development in Europe, due to the fact that GDPR is so complex that it is difficult for software developers to ensure they are compliant.

Assessment

Together all these developments indicates that Europe no longer trust the US government and the near monopoly that US tech giants have in large sectors of the IT industry.

Realistically, even if EU wanted to, it will probably take many years for Europe to end their dependence on US IT technology, even if EU regulation is simplified to encourage the European tech sector. Some US software companies may also decide to take additional measures to be more compliant with EU regulation, including walling off their European business from the US, or even move their operations out of USA, depending on how the US and world economy develops.

It’s also important to remember that many existing alternatives to Microsoft M365 are not nearly as “battle tested” as Microsoft’s products today. Cybercriminals are already broadening their attacks to other platforms, such as MacOS and Android devices. They move to the platform that their victims use.

For organizations that primarily worries about ransomware and cybercrime it makes little sense to rush ahead of government regulation and replace trusted software with untested alternatives, even if it means using software that can be influenced by the Trump administration in USA.

References

[1] https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/udland/det-tyske-forsvar-vender-ryggen-til-microsoft
[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/dutch-parliament-calls-end-reliance-us-software-2025-03-18/
[3] https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-gdpr-privacy-law-europe-president-ursula-von-der-leyen/