For years, European governments and companies have expressed unease about their near-total reliance on technology from US firms. This concern has intensified, catalyzed by the policies of the **Donald Trump** administration, which many view as aggressive and challenging to international law and democratic principles. A comprehensive analysis, including documentation by **WIRED**, has revealed dozens of public instances where companies, governments, NGOs, and educational establishments are actively stepping away from US technology providers. They are opting instead for open-source solutions or domestically developed alternatives—a trend believed to be just the tip of the iceberg. "The aggressive policies by the Trump administration, attacking international law, as well as the EU and democratic principles, has led to several wake-up calls," states **Marietje Schaake**, a non-resident fellow at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center and a former member of the European Parliament. ### Widespread Adoption of European Alternatives The movement towards digital sovereignty is broad and gaining momentum. The **European Commission** recently unveiled its long-term strategy to decrease dependence on US technology. Similarly, the **European Parliament** has switched its default search engine from **Google** to the French alternative, **Qwant**, on its devices. In France, thousands of government workers are now utilizing 'LaSuite,' an open-source office software designed to liberate officials from reliance on American tech giants. A collaborative open-source document offering from over a dozen European tech companies, dubbed **Euro-Office**, is also nearing its launch. Cities across the Netherlands, France, and Germany are also increasingly moving away from **Microsoft Office** and **Google Docs**. ### Shifting Core Infrastructure The shift extends beyond productivity software to critical infrastructure. The Dutch government is migrating its code from **Microsoft**-owned **GitHub** to its own sovereign repository. Finland reportedly shelved plans to move its election data to **Amazon**'s cloud services, while **DNS Belgium**, the organization behind the .be top-level domain, has announced its departure from **AWS**. In the realm of social networking, **Eurosky** has emerged as an interoperable European alternative to **Bluesky**, built on the same underlying AT Protocol. ### The Driving Force: Data Control and Geopolitical Concerns While many digital sovereignty plans predate recent geopolitical shifts, the fallout from US sanctions against officials linked to the **International Criminal Court** served as a stark accelerator. The court itself subsequently moved away from **Microsoft**'s technology. Europe's concerns are multifaceted: a desire for greater control over its own data, evolving international relationships, and the inherent risks of dependence on a small number of foreign tech firms. Potential access to data under the US **CLOUD Act** and **FISA** (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) further fuels the drive for autonomy. "Citizens, companies, and organizations are energized to take their digital future into their own hands," Schaake emphasizes, "Untangled from billionaire interests as well as Trump’s policies." ### Challenges and the Path Forward Despite this enthusiasm, completely disentangling Europe from US technology remains a formidable challenge. A recent **European Parliament** report highlighted that "US-based firms continue to dominate almost every layer of Europe’s digital stack," from cloud computing and AI to cybersecurity and mobile operating systems. The deep intertwining makes a complete break complex and time-consuming. Moreover, these moves risk exacerbating already delicate relationships with US officials, who have previously criticized Europe's stringent digital technology regulations. However, the commitment to this shift is unwavering. As a minister in the German state of Bavaria recently stated: "We no longer have time to cheaply discuss the importance of digital sovereignty—given the geopolitical situation, we need to get from talking to doing." Europe's journey towards digital independence is well underway, promising a new era of localized, privacy-centric technology solutions.