A broad coalition drawn from throughout the ranks of Europe’s tech {industry} is asking for “radical motion” from European Union lawmakers to shrink reliance on foreign-owned digital infrastructure and companies to bolster the bloc’s financial prospects, resilience, and safety in more and more fraught geopolitical occasions.
In an open letter to European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the EU’s digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, which TechCrunch reviewed forward of publication, greater than 80 signatories (representing round 100 organizations) stated they need regional lawmakers to rethink present assist efforts in order that they’re centered on fostering uptake of homegrown options with the strongest industrial potential — from apps, platforms, and AI fashions to chips, computing, storage, and connectivity.
Companies spanning areas together with cloud, telecoms, defence, together with a number of regional enterprise and startup associations, have put their names to the letter — which was despatched to the Commission on Sunday — urging the bloc to change its tech technique onto a quasi-war footing by committing to assist “sovereign digital infrastructure.”
The plan pushes for decreasing reliance on foreign-owned Big Tech by actively fostering growth of a so-called “Euro stack.” The European digital infrastructure pitch isn’t popping out of skinny air — a Euro Stack paper written by, amongst others, the competitors economist Cristina Caffarra was printed in January fleshing out the technique in some element.
There has additionally been, over the past half 12 months or so, a smattering of convention chatter turning over the potential for enterprising Europeans to grab a geopolitically fraught second to press the case for the EU to undertake a digital industrial technique that’s squarely targeted on favoring native innovation.
The rallying name to place European tech first — backed by corporations together with Airbus, Element, OVHCloud, Murena, Nextcloud, and Proton, to call a number of — follows the shock of the Munich safety convention, the place U.S. Vice President JD Vance tore into Europe like an assault canine, leaving delegates in little doubt that the post-War worldwide order is in tatters and all bets are off with regards to what the U.S. may do underneath President Donald Trump.
Key tech infrastructure that’s owned and operated by U.S. corporations doesn’t appear to be such a stable purchase, from a European perspective, if a presidential government order could be issued forcing U.S. companies to change off service provision or terminate a provide chain at a pen stroke.
“Imagine Europe with out web search, e mail, or workplace software program. It would imply the whole breakdown of our society. Sounds unrealistic? Well, one thing related simply occurred to Ukraine,” Wolfgang Oels, COO of the Berlin-based, tree-planting search engine Ecosia — one signatory to the letter that was already taking steps geared toward decreasing its dependency on U.S. Big Tech suppliers — tells TechCrunch.
“Trump switched off entry to very important infrastructures as a result of Ukraine was not able to cede its land and hand over its minerals,” Oels stated. “Europeans want sovereignty in vital infrastructures and people don’t solely include vitality and well being, however actually additionally digital ones.”
Vance’s current flip in Paris, on the AI Action summit, additionally noticed the U.S. vp lay into European lawmaking as a barrier to innovation, and a barrier to U.S. tech supremacy. His message boiled all the way down to “do what we are saying or else” — because the Trump administration made it loud and clear it’s hell bent on retaining digital dominance because the world strikes into an AI-accelerated period.
The {industry} letter isn’t solely responding to exterior threats, although. It follows (and references) the 2024 Draghi report on EU competitiveness — which has induced a lot hand-wringing in European capitals over what to do about slowing regional development, however much less clearly tangible motion. (Hence its writer’s exasperated cry to lawmakers within the European Parliament only a few weeks in the past — to “do one thing“.)
The coalition’s missive presents a European tech {industry} first stab prescription for motion, mixed with a stark warning of the perils of the bloc persevering with as is.
Without pressing motion to foster demand for European-made applied sciences ,there’s a threat that U.S. hyperscalers’ takeover of vital digital infrastructure provision in areas like cloud computing might be full, Euro Stack backers recommend — explicitly predicting that: “Europe will lose out on digital innovation and productiveness development with out sweeping and pressing change.”
“Our reliance on non-European applied sciences will turn out to be nearly full in lower than three years at present charges,” they go on to warn.
So what’s the particular one thing that this tech {industry} coalition is advocating for the EU to do?
Buy European
The letter suggests the bloc may assist stoke demand and unlock funding by adopting public procurement necessities that may require at the least a portion of public our bodies’ digital necessities to return from native suppliers (aka a “Buy European” mandate — favoring “European-led and assembled options”).
“Industry will make investments if there are ample demand prospects,” the letter writers say, happening to recommend, “Prioritising areas the place Europe can already ship might be key to shifting sources quick to European suppliers, creating worth and market in a virtuous circle.”
“The intention is to not exclude non-European gamers, however to create house the place European suppliers can legitimately compete (and justify funding),” they add.
Caffarra dubs procurement necessities a “no brainer.”
“We want the general public sector to be advised to purchase European, or largely European,” she tells TechCrunch. “What’s so unhealthy about that? Americans do purchase American, Chinese purchase Chinese — and we European say, ‘oh, purchase all the pieces by all means’.”
The argument is that in an “America First” world, the place the world’s strongest nation can’t be counted upon to have Europe’s again anymore, the EU’s studious neutrality — vis-a-vis the place it invests its sources — seems to be like a idealistic relic of a gentler age.
While the general public sector may very well be given ‘Buy European’ mandates, for personal sector consumers, Caffarra says a Euro Stack plan may embody “inducements” to change to homegrown suppliers — whether or not by means of vouchers or another assist mechanism. “Yes, they should be backed, in some sense — however we’re not speaking about monumental, monumental sums,” she suggests.
Pooling and federating
Other suggestions set out within the letter embody the EU taking steps to allow “viable provide” by encouraging European technologists to undertake a “pooling and federating” strategy, together with the event of frequent requirements — as a method to speed up scaling of homegrown digital infrastructure.
By working collectively on aligned approaches, the intention is to dial up European suppliers’ skill to compete in opposition to the likes of U.S. hyperscalers, corresponding to within the case of cloud computing.
“This means once more working with {industry} to stock sources quick, supporting open supply options and interoperability (each technically and commercially), aggregating ‘better of breed’ current belongings, supporting onboarding with integration platforms and low compliance limitations — whereas assembly localization and safety imperatives,” the letter suggests — advocating for precedence be given to “tasks that tackle primary infrastructural wants, corresponding to {hardware} autonomy and sovereign cloud and platforms.”
While there have been previous makes an attempt on this path — notable, the Gaia-X effort launched again in 2020 which was geared toward powering up a European cloud to rival U.S. and Chinese suppliers — that digital sovereignty push was successfully defanged as soon as U.S. hyperscalers bought let in.
“When AWS and Microsoft specifically, and Google, bought into Gaia-X, they blew it up from inside,” notes Caffarra.
The letter additionally takes a stab at articulating why it’s so self-defeating for Europe to roll out the welcome mat to international hyperscalers whose expansionist, proprietary playbook is all about maximizing buyer lock-in and lease extraction.
“With non-European companies extracting worth and concentrating energy by means of proprietary applied sciences, ‘openness’ (open science, requirements, information) needs to be a pillar of Europe’s digital sovereign technique,” it contends.
Signatories are additionally pushing the EU to assist the event of harmonized necessities for public/non-public cloud customers to choose to make use of “sovereign cloud companies” for storing their delicate information (corresponding to a certification scheme) — which can also be framed as a safety measure to protect in opposition to non-EU extraterritorial legal guidelines that may pose a threat to European information.
They additionally need the bloc to overview its current EU Digital Decade technique — and, the place essential, repurpose current plans to make sure funding goes to “tangible, market related, result-oriented tasks”, as they put it.
Furthermore, the letter requires the EU to evaluate tasks for potential funding by means of a enterprise outcomes lens — e.g. through the use of key efficiency indicators, vital success elements and many others — so as to be certain that EU funds go to companies with “robust adoption prospects.”
Redirecting and concentrating EU assist on homegrown tech infrastructure that has the strongest potential to scale is core to the plan.
Sovereign infrastructure fund
On funding, the letter makes a name for the EU to arrange a “Sovereign Infrastructure Fund” to assist public investments in European digital infrastructure — particularly in capital intensive areas of the tech worth chain (corresponding to chips and quantum computing).
Caffarra argues that such a fund wouldn’t require big quantities of cash — smaller quantities may very well be strategically focused, she suggests, corresponding to in direction of sustaining open supply infrastructure.
“The open supply neighborhood in Europe is big and extremely, extremely succesful,” she argues.
She additionally dismisses solutions that there could be eye-wateringly excessive prices for implementing Euro Stack total — such because the €5 trillion+ price-tag that’s been floated by U.S. commerce group, Chamber of Progress, which counts a number of U.S. tech giants as members — emphasizing that this isn’t a name to tear out and exchange all the pieces. Rather it’s a plea to Europe to get on the identical web page and work collectively on a joined-up digital industrial technique with the purpose of accelerating native capability by constructing demand for foundational applied sciences that European corporations are already in a position to present.
By locking in future demand, the Euro Stack pitch is that this can foster extra native tech {industry} development and innovation — whereas serving to the bloc chart a course in direction of larger autonomy in vital digital infrastructure.
Still, on funding Caffarra concedes that there are “different issues that should be achieved” — pointing to what number of European entrepreneurs find yourself crossing the pond to search for VC funding, for instance.
“A sovereign fund that invests in European startups? Heck yeah, we must always have that,” she provides, whereas nonetheless arguing that the sums concerned could be comparatively small, corresponding to by specializing in early stage startups (vs showering “helicopter cash” on established corporations).
Rethinking who leads
While the EU has been speaking among the discuss on digital sovereignty underneath von der Leyen’s presidency, the Euro Stack coalition is basically dismissing present efforts on this path as poorly directed and, in the end, wasted.
Too a lot funding is flowing in direction of academia and experimental R&D of their evaluation vs tangible industrial efforts — which, given the proper assist to scale, may really obtain the purpose of strategic autonomy in digital infrastructure, is the suggestion. Hence why the letter is pushing the EU arduous to simply accept an industry-led effort to show this tanker vs persevering with with top-down policymaking enterprise as common.
Caffarra’s evaluation of the EU’s document on digital sovereignty is especially withering — she dubs its strategy “ineffective” and argues that, for instance, the EU’s current push to arrange so referred to as “AI factories“, as an AI ecosystem-building measure, is simply too reliant on tutorial consortia to ship something that’s commercially precious.
The letter is rather less plain-speaking. But it’s basically making the identical enchantment for the bloc’s lawmakers to get out of the best way with regards to vital decision-making in relation to Europe’s dwindling digital infrastructure prospects — and as a substitute lean into their “convening powers to mobilise {industry} to actively assist coordinate and validate a continent-wide technique to energy a European digital sovereign effort,” because it places it.
“To assist Europe on this acute second of disaster for our safety and strategic autonomy, the Commission should urgently type and convene working teams with {industry} to remodel its tech sovereignty ambition into concrete actions,” the {industry} coalition suggests.
TechCrunch reached out to the European Commission for a response to the Euro Stack pitch paper however on the time of writing it had not responded.
Industry voices
A full record of signatories is included on the backside of the letter — however Caffarra sums up the collective ink as “virtually all of Europe’s cloud, telcos, software program, open supply and many others, plus industrial giants like Airbus and defence like Dassault Systemes.”
She expects extra corporations to affix as backers within the coming days (together with from Europe’s AI ecosystem), but additionally claims that some that wished to again the decision didn’t signal as they’re frightened about retaliation from Big Tech since they’re additionally their prospects. (And it’s value noting that French AI large Mistral, which isn’t at the moment a signatory to the letter, just lately made its personal plea for shrinking dependency on U.S. suppliers by shopping for European — whilst CEO and founder Arthur Mensch stated “pragmatism” is required as some digital infrastructure can’t be acquired every other method).
As properly as tech corporations, a spread of regional enterprise associations have put their title to the letter — together with the likes of Connect Europe (representing telcos), the OSBA (Open Source Business Alliance), European Digital SME Alliance, European Startup Network, and France Digitale to call a number of.
On startups Caffarra agrees that for some European entrepreneurs and their buyers attaining an exit to U.S.-owned Big Tech is the endgame — which may create some rigidity with regards to supporting a method that’s explicitly pulling within the different path. (She name-checked one startup affiliation that didn’t signal as she stated its members had been open about their hopes to get “in mattress with Big Tech” — however we’ll spare their blushes.)
“That’s a technique out,” she provides of this Big Tech exit playbook. “I’m not stopping that — I’m saying that there must be European options to it.”
Europe first?
Discussing why he’s backing the Euro Stack proposal, Johan Christenson, founding father of European cloud supplier Cleura (previously City Network) — and now head of expertise on the Swedish cloud supplier Iver (one other signatory), which acquired City Network in 2020 — tells TechCrunch: “The adjustments wanted are so foundational I feel Europe wants a brand new Airbus-like challenge round digital to face an opportunity.”
“While protectionism is rising in numerous locations — I feel Europe must assume completely different. By setting necessities corresponding to use of open supply or {that a} chat instrument or video convention system should be interoperable with all others,” he goes on. “Or ensuring extensions in productiveness instruments adhere to requirements accepted by Europe — so Libre workplace at all times will work nice with Word or Power Point for example.
“There must be some factor of public procurement requirement as properly.”
Any Yen, founding father of Switzerland-based privateness instruments maker Proton — one other signatory to the letter — additionally says an enormous shift of mindset is required.
“Historically the thought of considering ‘Europe First’ has been taboo, regarded down on as being unseemly. And whereas the impulse to set a world instance and ‘play truthful’ is admirable, it’s naive and has left Europe at an obstacle,” he warns, including: “America and China have at all times been America First and China First, Europe must do the identical.
“European tech hasn’t fallen behind as a consequence of an absence of ability, expertise or creativity. It’s fallen behind due to an absence of demand. For 30 years, European governments and corporations have made the shortsighted choice to obtain expertise from the U.S. and China for brief time period price financial savings, relatively than making the strategic alternative of investing in creating European capabilities.
“Fixing this demand downside is most simply achieved by requiring that European public sector purchase European, creating the impetus for the event of Europe’s tech sector.”
Yen says the demand state of affairs is so vital Europe wants to not stage the taking part in area however actively tilt it in favor of homegrown tech. “This is most simply achieved by fixing the demand downside by requiring public procurement (and maybe even non-public procurement) to purchase European,” he suggests.
Asked concerning the affect of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) — the bloc’s flagship competitors reform that’s been up and working since March 2024. aiming to drive market contestability on Big Tech dominance — Yen says he doesn’t assume the regulation is enough by itself. Hence Proton backing the Euro Stack name for extra radical motion.
“We see that now one 12 months after the introduction of DMA, the place nothing has materially modified and the marketshare of Big Tech in Europe can also be unchanged,” he tells TechCrunch. “Simply put, even when DMA can shave some extent off of American GDP by means of fines, it would do little to develop European GDP because it doesn’t basically create the demand essential for GDP development.”
He additionally doesn’t mince his phrases in evaluation the efficiency of the Commission — arguing it’s “prioritizing the Europe of the previous as a substitute of wanting in direction of the Europe of the longer term.”
“Successive generations of European entrepreneurs with the imaginative and prescient of what needs to be achieved have come and gone and have been saying the identical factor for many years — maybe now could be the time to start out listening to them,” Yen provides.
Frank Karlitschek, CEO and founding father of German cloud companies participant Nextcloud — one other letter signatory — emails an extended record of solutions when requested why he believes Europe wants a brand new strategy and what are the dangers of simply doing extra of the identical, flagging a raft of knowledge safety and privateness dangers, together with the looming risk of financial “blackmail” underneath the boot of an America First U.S. administration.
“The U.S. government proper now could be exhibiting they haven’t any qualms utilizing government energy, from tariffs to sanctions, to realize utterly unrelated targets,” he notes, including: “More than ever earlier than, U.S. cloud companies generally is a chokehold for political, financial or different causes. And organizations are on the lookout for higher choices.”
Changing European procurement guidelines to, for instance, set a requirement that “vital infrastructure” have to be 50-80% open supply in a 12 months or two wouldn’t price the tax payer something, Karlitschek suggests, however “would create an explosion of recent startups and innovation” since European tech companies are higher positioned to capitalize vs U.S. counterparts (which skew in direction of proprietary, relatively than open supply).
“More authorities contracts have to be awarded to European open supply corporations,” he additionally suggests, noting current strikes by the German authorities on this path, and arguing: “Digital sovereignty can solely be achieved with open supply software program.”
Karlitschek additionally lauds efforts to agree requirements that make it simpler to maneuver work masses from one cloud supplier to a different.
“One instance is the just lately launched open cloud {industry} normal API specification SECA which permits to deploy and run workloads seamlessly throughout completely different cloud environments,” he notes. “This allows the numerous European service suppliers to collectively type a community with larger scalability and continuity than every can present individually.
“Similarly, smaller distributors can and needs to be inspired to pool sources collectively into joint choices, giving the general public sector and enormous companies extra certainty by way of continuity.”
In additional remarks, Karlitschek requires the EU to correctly implement its current suite of digital laws in opposition to Big Tech — “from privateness to antitrust guidelines” — suggesting strong motion on compliance may assist transfer the needle. “The Big Tech companies usually are not dealing with many penalties for his or her gatekeeping and a few basic points round privateness usually are not addressed,” he factors out.
However Caffarra has no truck with such fiddling sideshows. She’s satisfied {that a} far greater shift of mindset is required; one which calls for the EU get the heck out of its regulatory consolation zone.
“They are regulating the highest [of the stack] — search, social networks, e-commerce and app shops; these are the issues that the DMA is concentrated on. These are the merchandise,” she emphasizes, when requested why the EU robustly implementing its current guidelines isn’t the reply to digital autonomy. “We are speaking about infrastructure that lies under it — so compute, cloud, connectivity, chips. So the DMA isn’t bothered with that.”
The key level that the areas’ lawmakers should grok and quick is that the majority tech infrastructure is now outdoors European management, warns Caffarra — and that requires a radical new survival technique, not a tweak of the dial.
