- CISPE hits back at EU efforts for cloud sovereignty
- The new “score” system could further unbalance the market in favor of American hyperscalers
- American companies would hold around 70% of the European cloud market
Attempts by the European Union (EU) to reduce reliance on U.S. cloud providers and hyperscalers could actually have the opposite effect, opponents of the plans have said.
CISPE (Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe), a grouping of 38 of the continent’s main cloud players, has attacked the European cloud sovereignty framework, which it says is unlikely to lead to any changes in the market.
Particularly scorned is the new “sovereignty score,” which ranks providers based on their strengths but which, according to CISPE, is biased toward existing (and often American) providers such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.
“Clear indicator” needed
“CISPE’s concern is that the framework’s criteria are so broad and weighted that they could allow a provider to tick enough boxes to achieve a high score without truly respecting the spirit of European sovereignty,” a CISPE spokesperson said. The register.
“More fundamentally, we believe that either you are sovereign or you are not. Customers need a clear indicator. This is not to say that additional technological, legal or other safeguards cannot provide levels of control tailored to the cloud use cases that customers need, particularly those participating in global supply chains.”
Cloud and data sovereignty in Europe has become a hot topic in recent months, as customers look for alternatives to US hyperscalers.
Recent findings from Synergy Research claim that AWS, Microsoft and Google Cloud together hold 70% of the European cloud market, with European companies holding just 15%, down from 29% in 2017.
Many UK businesses admit they are still unsure where their data is stored, although sovereignty concerns and changing regulations lead them to demand more local options.
“The new Sovereign Cloud tender provides clarity and transparency on what sovereignty means and how it will be measured in public procurement,” an EU spokesperson said. The register.
“This creates a level playing field in which cloud computing providers in the EU market can demonstrate their sovereignty strengths. This pushes the entire market towards higher standards and respect for European values.”
CISPE has had a busy few months in legal battles across Europe: in July 2025, it announced that its members could now offer Microsoft software on a pay-as-you-go model, without sharing customer data with the company.
The group also launched a formal appeal to challenge the European Commission’s decision to approve Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware in 2023, arguing that the former had imposed “unfair contractual terms for the cloud infrastructure service”.
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