- European companies are deeply enclosed in the consequences and systems of the foreign office
- American platforms manage the communications dorsals of the largest European companies
- Dependence on external providers exposes public services and health care to foreign surveillance
For years, European governments and societies have looked greatly at the offers of American technology instead of feeding local alternatives.
This choice now has visible consequences, because the sanctions and the changing trade rules brought by the Trump administration considerably reshape the balance of powers.
A recent analysis of corporate emails through Europe by Proton shows that a striking majority of listed companies are based on American suppliers such as Google and Microsoft.
The data reveal the depth of dependence
Behind the rhetoric of digital sovereignty, reality is that a large part of European digital infrastructure is based on technological batteries that entities outside its borders control. It is not only a question of convenience software but also essential systems that underlie finance, health care and public services.
Email may seem commonplace, but it often serves as a desktop software gateway, online collaboration platforms and cloud -based storage.
When a company undertakes a supplier for email, it generally adopts the complete suite, integrating foreign technologies deeply into its operations.
This trend is not limited to small economies, but also includes the greatest players on the continent, where dependence reduces energy and telecommunications industries to pharmaceutical products.
In countries like Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden, more than 90% of listed companies are counting on American services for emails and related infrastructure.
However, the shock is probably Ireland, which is at the head of a manger with the United States on several policies, but 93% of its companies depend on American technology.
The United Kingdom, although mainly an ally of the United States, has 88% of alarming companies that rely on American technology, while other European heavy goods vehicles such as Spain, Portugal and Switzerland have recorded 74%, 72% and 68% of companies based on American technologies respectively.
Even France, which often defends its own autonomy, sees two companies out of three (66%) linked to American suppliers.
Eastern European countries like Bulgaria (16%) and Romania (39%) are the least dependent on American technology, and Russia is not even on the list of dependent nations of the United States.
National security problems emerge when public services, transport systems and health establishments communicate through networks governed by foreign jurisdictions, but perhaps not when the network belongs to the United States.
Dependence extends far beyond convenience; It is integrated into the very systems that Europeans use every day – dependence on foreign technologies does not only present financial vulnerability; It raises questions about surveillance, the effect of geopolitical lever and the future of innovation.
AI training programs outside of Europe order can sweep sensitive commercial data, while dependence on external platforms exposes companies to legal requests without a mandate.
This arrangement has also favored a talent and a capital drain, because engineers and investors direct their objective of Silicon Valley rather than strengthening European ecosystems, whether through proprietary services or alternative Linux distros.
Some maintain that American technology simply offers the best available tools, which can be true in terms of global efficiency and scope, but the consequences of dependence are increasingly difficult to ignore, because the United States can deactivate the switch at any time, and thousands of companies will be in crisis.
The fact that so many European companies cannot work without American software shows the fragile nature of European autonomy.
Rather than obtaining independence, Europe is likely to lock itself more in external dependencies at a time when political winds in Washington change.
