Europe may be on the brink of a major “liberation revolution” from American technological dependency in the coming months.

Like most “revolutions” in the continent’s history, it began in France, where authorities decided to replace the Windows system in their administrations with Linux, following months of replacing Microsoft Teams with the French Visio platform built on the open-source Jitsi framework. France is not alone in this effort, as Schleswig-Holstein in Germany had previously moved to replace Microsoft systems with open-source alternatives, aiming to gradually free themselves from American tech companies by the end of the decade.

Europe seeks to reclaim control over its digital sovereignty and reduce reliance on American technologies, focusing on open-source solutions as a foundation for independence. According to current steps, the plan includes accelerating the transition in key areas, with a roadmap expected by this fall. It responds to calls from European security experts to discourage the use of WhatsApp and Signal in government contexts, citing security vulnerabilities as well as concerns over sovereignty and data control.

In a separate context, the European Union is discussing its controversial proposal on “controlling conversations,” which would impose mass surveillance on private communications, a measure Signal said might prompt its withdrawal from the EU rather than weaken its encryption.

Currently, the EU relies on external actors for over 80% of its digital products, services, and infrastructure, primarily the United States, requiring a decade-long effort to address this dependency. Amazon, Google, and Microsoft control two-thirds of Europe’s cloud computing needs. In November 2025, France and Germany agreed to achieve sovereignty in priority areas such as artificial intelligence and data by launching a joint task force to realize that goal.

The EU’s legislation supports the development of cloud computing and artificial intelligence, aiming to fund projects such as “Eurostack” and to create fully European alternatives, alongside the “Digital Europe” program with a budget of €1.3 billion to enhance cybersecurity and a shared digital identity.

The Trump specter

Yet, this digital sovereignty trend across the continent appears to reflect deeper tensions between Europe and its historical ally, the United States. The shift is driven in part by concerns over the policies of President Donald Trump, who has previously used commercial and defense dependencies as leverage and could potentially do so with technology as well, threatening to disrupt or cut digital services to extract concessions, as seen in earlier sanctions against critics such as judges of the International Criminal Court, which led to bank account closures and loss of access to American tech services.

Europeans see this threat as real, which is boosting the drive for strategic autonomy. Alongside trade tensions with China and cyberattacks attributed to Russia—factors that highlight the need for digital sovereignty—the greater European focus is on the perceived American threat.

Despite this ambition, Europe faces practical challenges in its pursuit of digital sovereignty, as American companies such as Meta and Intel dominate Linux core development, with few European firms capable of replacing American technology. Economically, the transition requires massive investments reaching trillions of euros to establish European data centers and develop European software programs, yet the returns would take time, with risks of delays due to dependence on American components even within European solutions.

Culturally, it may clash with the habit of relying on American technologies, as users tend to prefer familiar interfaces despite potential risks, and companies fear losing productivity during the transition. While this shift may be revolutionary in essence, it is likely to be a long-term, gradual process rather than an immediate break.