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Redazione RHC : 23 June 2025 17:22
Donald Trump’s return to the White House has becomea painful reminder for Europe of its main digital vulnerability: the “kill switch” effectively controlled by the United States. Political risks that only a few years ago seemed like a fantasy are now perceived as a very real threat, capable of paralyzing the European economy and communications.
Over the years of economic integration and technological globalization, European countries have become extremely dependent on American cloud services. The security of email, video streaming, industrial processing and even government communicationsis directly linked to the infrastructure controlled by the three largest American companies: Amazon, Microsoft and Google. These companies currently serve more than two-thirds of the European cloud market.
Concerns have long been raised about undue influence by the United States on European data. American laws allow US authorities to access information stored on these companies’ servers around the world. But since Trump returned to power, such scenarios have become much closer to reality.
The situation escalated after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for prominent Israeli politicians and the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, was barred from accessing his email accounts hosted on Microsoft servers. Although the company itself refused to disclose the details of the shutdown , the incident caused quite a stir. Aura Sallah, a former top Meta lobbyist in Brussels and now a member of the European Parliament, stressed that such a situation clearly shows that the reliability and security of American digital platforms for Europe are seriously in question.
As Zach Myers, director of the think tank CERRE, notedEurope is a competitor and an adversary for Trump, not an ally. Therefore, the idea that American authorities could deliberately disable cloud services to increase political pressure no longer seems like science fiction.
In response to the worsening situation, European politicians and companies are stepping up efforts to reduce technological dependence on the United States. The head of French company OVHcloud, Benjamin Revkolewski, compared cloud services to a water supply system: familiar and imperceptible until someone turns off the valve. And if the possibility of such a blockade was previously discussed in theory, today it is perceived as a real risk.
To at least partially reduce the degree of dependence, the largest American companies have rushed to demonstrate their willingness to dialogue. Microsoft has included legal guarantees in contracts with European government agencies to maintain access to services, even in the event of political decisions by Washington. Amazon has announced a new mechanism for managing European services, promising to guarantee their “independent and continuous functioning”, even if the United States introduces new restrictions.
Yet many doubt that these promises will withstand pressure from the White House. As the economist points out Cristina Caffarra of University College London, even with the best intentions, companies will not be able to stand up to their government if the political confrontation reaches a new level.
In this context, calls are growing in the EU to create their own, independent digital infrastructures. One such initiative is the EuroStack project, with a planned investment of 300 billion euros. Its aim is to ensure full independence for Europe in the field of cloud technologies and software. The plan includes priority government orders for local IT companies, subsidies and a support fund.
But the ambitious project will be extremely difficult to implement. As even its supporters admit, the scale of the investment is comparable to the budgets of the largest infrastructure reforms in decades. Skeptics, including representatives of American lobbies, argue that the real costs could exceed €5 trillion.
EU policymakers are having to balance their desire for technological sovereignty with the fear of being accused of protectionism, which could trigger a harsh response from the United States. Member states are divided: France is adamant about the need to protect data from American influence, while the Netherlands, traditionally loyal to the United States, has in the past taken a more cautious stance. However, the political turmoil of recent months has also forced them to reconsider their approach.
The problem is compounded by the fact that legislative initiatives to strengthen digital sovereignty are blocked. One of the key projects, which envisages mandatory certification of “cloud” solutions for government agencies, is stuck in the approval phase. According to the idea, the higher level of certification was supposed to ensure data protection from interference by third countries, including the United States. But under pressure from Washington, negotiations have dragged on for a long time and the European Commission refuses to disclose correspondence with the American side, citing the “need to maintain trust”.
Meanwhile, Brussels is increasingly insisting on the need for a rigorous and pragmatic policy. As Henna Virkkunen, head of the EU’s department for technological sovereignty, admits, Europe is for the first time facing a situation in which its economic and technological dependence can be used as a weapon in international conflicts.
The financial, technological and political stakes are very high. Europe must decide whether it is willing to pay for independence or whether it prefers to continue hoping that the transition abroad will never take place.
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