- The European Commission prepares for the next Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA)
- CISPE leaders ask European Vice President for Technological Sovereignty to carefully consider five requests
- Reducing dependence on US hyperscalers could still take years
Twenty-four European cloud CEOs are urging the European Union to ensure that the upcoming Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA) actually protects European sovereignty, rather than just implementing symbolic gestures.
In the letter addressed to the European Vice President for Technological Sovereignty, Henna Virkkunen, the leaders warn against a “washing of sovereignty”, which could actually allow American hyperscalers to continue to assert their domination.
“This first comprehensive European cloud computing policy should strengthen Europe’s digital capacity by prioritizing purchases and investments in sovereign European solutions that foster a competitive cloud ecosystem,” they write.
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European cloud CEOs, backed by CISPE, push for tech sovereignty
The letter sets out five core demands for Virkkunen: sovereignty through control, where the bloc focuses on ownership, governance and legal protection; resilience where sovereignty may not be possible; supply shares reserved for European cloud providers with regard to sensitive data; a push for competition and interoperability; and strategic investments in European companies.
The upcoming CADA aims to address concerns over US hyperscalers, with AWS, Azure and Google Cloud collectively accounting for around 70% of the EU cloud market.
On top of that, Microsoft even stated that it cannot fully guarantee EU data sovereignty on the grounds that it must comply with US legal orders.
However, even taking into account the demands of leaders supported by CADA and CISPE, it could take years, if not decades, for Europe to reach a position where it is no longer dependent on American technology.
“CADA is a unique opportunity to put Europe back at the forefront of the digital economy, and we must not waste it by legitimizing the ‘washing of sovereignty’,” added CISPE Secretary General Francisco Mingorance.
The European Commission has not yet responded publicly to the CISPE letter.
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