EU Push for Digital Sovereignty and Reduced Reliance on US Technology
European policymakers and industry voices are intensifying a digital sovereignty push aimed at reducing reliance on non-EU technology and services, framing the issue as both a strategic and practical dependency problem. A G DATA commentary argues that “sovereignty” should be approached pragmatically—expanding options and reducing single-vendor or single-region dependencies through incremental changes rather than unrealistic “all-or-nothing” shifts (e.g., total withdrawal from online services or immediate replacement of global hardware supply chains).
In the defense domain, reporting indicates the EU is planning a secure military data-sharing capability designed to avoid U.S.-made technology, driven in part by concerns about external control or “kill switch” risk and broader geopolitical uncertainty. The proposed Defense Artificial Intelligence Data Space—described as a sovereign military cloud to improve interoperability and data flows for AI-enabled and automated battlefield systems—is reportedly targeted to be operational by 2030, aligning with earlier European Commission planning and the EU’s wider effort to build alternatives to U.S. hyperscalers for sensitive workloads.
Timeline
Apr 8, 2026
France launches cross-ministerial plan to reduce non-European IT dependencies
Following an interministerial seminar, the French government tasked Dinum with coordinating a government-wide strategy to reduce dependence on extra-European digital tools and services. Ministries and public operators were told to formalize their own dependency-reduction plans, targeting areas such as workstations, collaboration tools, antivirus, AI, databases, virtualization, and network equipment.
Feb 6, 2026
EU plans sovereign military data-sharing platform by 2030
The European Union was reported to be planning a secure military data-sharing platform, referred to as the Defense Artificial Intelligence Data Space, designed to avoid U.S.-made technology and improve interoperability across European militaries. The proposal, presented by the European Defence Agency and referenced in European Commission plans, envisions possible use of a sovereign military cloud and a target of becoming operational by 2030.
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