In a significant move towards technological independence, thirteen European cloud providers have joined forces with a group of EU lawmakers and NGOs to support the European Commission’s initiative to reduce the region’s reliance on U.S. technologies. This effort is aimed at strengthening local businesses and ensuring that European companies are at the forefront of providing cloud streaming services for sensitive public tenders.
Technological Sovereignty
The European Commission is set to announce measures that will prioritize European companies over their U.S. counterparts in key technology sectors. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to enhance the production of made-in-Europe chips and to catch up with global rivals like the United States and China. The push for technological sovereignty is driven by the need for Europe to have the capacity to design, understand, and regulate its digital systems independently.
In a joint open letter, the groups emphasized the importance of Europe having the freedom to choose from home-grown sources and effectively operate its digital infrastructure. The signatories of this letter include notable companies such as French cloud vendor OVHcloud, Germany’s Nextcloud, Swiss privacy software company Proton, and Dutch quantum chip maker QuantWare, among others.
Political and Economic Implications
The initiative also has political and economic implications, as it seeks to reduce tensions with the United States and China by fostering a self-reliant European tech ecosystem. Lawmakers from the Greens group at the European Parliament and six civil groups, including Defend Democracy and Save Social, have also backed this initiative. Lawmaker Alexandra Geese succinctly captured the sentiment with the message: “Build European, buy European, protect European.”
This movement towards technological independence highlights the growing desire within Europe to assert its autonomy in the digital realm and protect its economic interests. By supporting local businesses and prioritizing European technology, the EU aims to create a more resilient and competitive digital economy.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
