While the world eagerly watches this week’s summit between US President Trump and Kremlin chief Putin in Alaska, Europe is digitally sidelined – as an onlooker. Dependence on US technologies jeopardizes economic independence, data security, and innovation. But there is hope.
By Jan Nintemann and Jochen Siegle; Photo: İsmail Enes Ayhan, Unsplash
The new report State of Digital Sovereignty 2025 from Myra Security shows: There are massive dependencies on non-European providers – especially from the USA – in cloud, cybersecurity, collaboration tools, and AI infrastructure.
Gain Control, not Isolate
“Digital sovereignty means having decision-making options”, Claudia Plattner, President of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), recently told dpa.
A complete go-it-alone approach is unrealistic in the short term – instead, it requires targeted control over critical technologies and clear priorities: “Where does Europe want to be a leader, and where must international offerings be made securely and data-sovereignly usable”, Plattner asks.
“Dependence Makes one Vulnerable” – Dennis-Kenji Kipker, CII
Prof. Dennis-Kenji Kipker, Scientific Director of the Cyberintelligence Institute, also warns: “Lack of digital sovereignty makes Europe’s economy and IT vulnerable – politically, economically, and technologically.” Digital sovereignty begins with every single IT decision.
There are already many alternatives in Europe, which, however, need to be more widely known and consistently used.
Business Reality Check
The facts from the Myra report are clear:
- Only 10% use European AI infrastructure
- Less than 25% rely on European cloud services
- 40% are heavily dependent on non-European cloud and security providers
- Only 20% use European security solutions
Particularly critical: Almost half of the respondents see “no significant dependence” – often due to lack of knowledge.
Moving from Talk to Action
According to Plattner, we must embrace digital sovereignty much more – Europe must act decisively. She therefore calls for prioritizing European providers in public procurement, prioritizing strategic areas, and securing international solutions.
Why TransformIT Europe 2026 is so Important
This is precisely where TransformIT Europe 2026 from May 5–8, 2026, at Expo Brussels:
- Create visibility for European technologies and providers
- Facilitate networking between politics, business, research, and startups.
- Initiate collaborations that go beyond national and industry borders
Digital Sovereignty is Achievable
The example of T-Systems and Google demonstrates that such alliances can work well: The two tech giants have been cooperating since 2021. In April 2025, Deutsche Telekom (to which T-Systems belongs) announced an extension of its partnership with Google Cloud until 2030.
T-Systems Manager Jens Mühlner also spoke about this at TransformIT Europe 2025.
Digital sovereignty is only possible if Europe acts together. TransformIT Europe 2026 in the heart of Europe provides the stage to turn ideas into concrete projects – and take Europe’s digital future into its own hands.
Sources:
- https://www.myrasecurity.com/en/downloads/whitepaper-co/state_of_digital_sovereignty_2025/
- https://www.telekom.com/en/media/media-information/archive/sovereign-cloud-from-t-systems-and-google-cloud-635314?
- T-Systems & Google Cloud – Sovereign Cloud:
https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/deutsche-telekom-expands-relationship-with-google-cloud/ - Deutsche Telekom & Google Cloud – Partnership Expansion
https://www.channelpartner.de/article/4038003/digitale-souveranitat-fur-deutschland-vorerst-unerreichbar.html