A growing chorus of European technology executives is calling for the continent to assert control over its digital future, with Danish IT services giant Netcompany leading the latest push for technological self-reliance. In an open letter published on Wednesday — coinciding with the symbolic illumination of the Statue of Liberty replica in Paris a day before — Netcompany CEO André Rogaczewski explicitly challenged Europe’s dependence on foreign technology platforms and urged the region to “bring our data home.” “From social media to cloud infrastructure, from applications to algorithms, we are dependent on technologies developed elsewhere, by actors who may not share our values,” warned Rogaczewski, whose firm employs over 8,000 technology consultants across Europe. The high-profile campaign comes amid escalating tensions in global technology markets, with the European Commission recently intensifying scrutiny of US cloud providers’ market practices and ahead of upcoming EU-US discussions on trans-Atlantic data governance frameworks. “We are calling for European solutions — built by European companies, run on European data, and accountable to European citizens,” Rogaczewski stated, directly challenging the market dominance of American tech giants including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services, which collectively control a significant majority of Europe’s cloud infrastructure market according to industry reports. Europe’s strategic pivot in digital policy The remarks come amid a concerted push by European governments and institutions to localize control over key digital systems. Recent EU policies — the Digital Services Act, the Digital Markets Act, and the AI Act — are part of an evolving legal framework to strengthen regional oversight of platforms, algorithms, and cloud-based services. A month ago, leading European companies and lobbying groups — including Airbus, Element, and Nextcloud — under the umbrella of “EuroStack Initiative” signed an open letter urging the creation of an EU sovereign infrastructure fund to boost public investment in innovative technologies and build strategic autonomy in key sectors. “Building strategic autonomy in key sectors is now a recognised urgent imperative across Europe. As part of this common effort, Europe needs to recover the initiative, and become more technologically independent across all layers of its critical digital infrastructure,” the EuroStack letter read. These initiatives follow a global trend where technology is no longer seen purely through the lens of innovation or efficiency but as a strategic national asset. The US has tightened its grip on semiconductor exports to China. China, in turn, is accelerating its own domestic tech stack and enforcing data localization. In this shifting context, Europe’s historical reliance on the US and Chinese digital infrastructure has become a liability. Building a European tech ecosystem Netcompany, a publicly listed IT services provider with operations across Europe, is among a growing number of regional firms advocating for digital sovereignty. Their CEO’s comments underline the urgency to reduce reliance on US-based cloud giants and software vendors. Instead, the letter encourages a continental effort to cultivate indigenous technologies that align with European legal standards and ethical norms. “Technology lies at the heart of our wealth creation,” Rogaczewski said. “It drives our competitiveness and sits at the very center of how we communicate, learn, and develop as societies.” This vision extends beyond public discourse into concrete initiatives. GAIA-X, a European cloud infrastructure initiative, exemplifies this push toward a sovereign tech ecosystem, alongside other strategic programs including SiPearl and the EU’s AI Continent Action Plan that target capabilities in cloud infrastructure, semiconductors, and AI. US tech giants have not been idle in response to these sovereignty concerns. Amazon Web Services, for instance, has committed to a €7.8 billion ($8.9 billion) investment in an “AWS European Sovereign Cloud” and maintains that its approach has been “sovereign-by-design” from the beginning, with customers having “complete control over where they locate their data” within European regions and verifiable control over who can access it. “While complete technological independence is a complex and long-term goal, Europe is clearly building momentum toward digital and AI sovereignty,” said Shreeya Deshpande, senior analyst at Everest Group, highlighting how the coordinated nature of such efforts reflects growing momentum across Europe. While challenges remain, particularly in scaling and integrating across fragmented markets, the political will and regulatory backing for European tech nationalism is growing. Sovereignty without isolation Rogaczewski’s appeal reflects a growing consensus among European stakeholders that sovereignty does not mean isolation. Rather, it signals a recalibration of Europe’s role in the global digital order. Europe is seeking to maintain open markets and innovation, while ensuring that core digital infrastructure and sensitive data remain under regional control. “Emerging mechanisms, such as data embassies and sovereign cloud frameworks, offer a practical middle path — enabling countries to maintain legal and operational control over data and AI systems while remaining interoperable with global platforms,” Deshpande added. The message resonates with policymakers who see technology not just as a tool of commerce but as a pillar of democratic governance. “This places our security, sovereignty, and democracy at risk,” Rogaczewski warned, referring to Europe’s current dependency on foreign platforms. The lighting of the Statue of Liberty — once gifted by France to the US as a symbol of shared democratic values — served as a potent backdrop to Rogaczewski’s message. He framed his letter as both a reminder of historical ties and a warning that those values are now “under heavy pressure.” “Our modern societies are based on the very same principles of freedom and democracy,” he wrote. “We must stand united in our commitment to these values and fight for them each and every day.”