EU pursues digital sovereignty to curb US Big Tech dominance

Europe remains heavily dependent on US Big Tech for cloud and digital services, with EU data largely housed by Amazon, Microsoft and Google. EU lawmakers are pushing for digital sovereignty through homegrown infrastructure, open-source platforms, and initiatives like Eurostack, but independent decoupling is costly and will take time (estimates range from about €300 billion to over €5 trillion). Pioneering projects like Schleswig-Holstein’s switch to open-source and Helsingborg’s resilience testing show it’s possible to reduce dependence, yet full replacement of US tech is unlikely in the near term. The EU plans to continue cooperation with the US and other partners while steadily expanding European alternatives, a shift requiring big investment and changed procurement practices.