Eurostack: a European industrial policy initiative to reduce dependency on foreign technology
Updated: Oct 29
Who or what is Eurostack?
Eurostack is a very serious European industrial policy initiative that aims to create a European-based, sovereign technology stack, from infrastructure to cloud services, software, AI and data platforms. It is not just a technological vision but a concrete plan to reduce Europe’s dependency on US and Asian tech giants and to strengthen its economic and geopolitical independence.
Who is behind Eurostack?
Eurostack is driven both by leading technology policy experts and by hundreds of European technology companies.
The signatories of the initiative include leading European technology players such as OVHcloud, Proton, Nextcloud, Scaleway, Tutanota, Airbus, Thales and Dassault Systèmes, as well as Europe’s largest SME representative, the European DIGITAL SME Alliance.
There is also visible support from politicians, academics and civil society organisations who understand the need to strengthen Europe’s digital independence.
What does Eurostack aim for?
Eurostack’s central goal is to create the conditions for Europe to be able to:
build and manage its own cloud and AI infrastructure,
offer scalable and open software solutions,
retain control over data, networks and platforms.
The aim is not to "build a European Google", but to empower existing players and remove the lock-in mechanisms of today’s market.
The 10 most influential proposals from the Eurostack white paper
"Buy European": a procurement principle giving preference to European technology in the public sector
European-based cloud infrastructure certification
Openness and traceability of the technology supply chain
A EUR 300 billion Eurostack investment fund
Building AI and big data centres in Europe
SME access to strategic capital
Preference for open-source components
Harmonisation of standards (interoperability first!)
A European "Eurostack Ready" certificate
Tax incentives for reinvested profits in the technology sector
The European Commission, member state governments, public procurement bodies and private sector associations have a key role in implementing them.
Why does all this matter?
The Eurostack materials make the rather bold claim that Europe is currently America’s digital colony, and it is hard to argue with that. Our dependency on foreign technology is dangerously high, and reducing it is critically important for national independence, economic competitiveness and security. The Eurostack initiative takes a very pragmatic approach to the problem: Europe does not need more investment in early-stage R&D, but rather the removal of market barriers and access to strategic capital for local companies that work and have proven themselves. Eurostack does not propose regulating the private sector, but creating demand for local technology through public procurement policies, which in turn increases investment, delivers economies of scale and brings the private sector along.
None of this means, however, that the private sector should wait for the public sector. Or that the public sector should wait for regulation. Our dependency on foreign technology is a business risk already today, and it can be reduced today by using existing European technology that is mature, meets functional needs and is sometimes even more affordable than US or Asian alternatives.
If you would like to learn more about the Eurostack initiative, we recommend reading the Eurostack White Paper: https://eurostack.eu/the-white-paper/
If you want to know what you can already do today to reduce your company’s or organisation’s dependency on foreign technology, do get in touch.
