Digital Sovereignty and European Cloud: A Strategy for the Future

Sure, ecco la traduzione fedele in inglese del testo:

Europe’s dependence on U.S.-based cloud services is showing increasingly evident cracks. With laws such as the Cloud Act, which allows the U.S. to access global data without providing guarantees for European citizens, digital sovereignty has become an urgent priority. At the same time, geopolitical and commercial developments—exacerbated by tensions such as those during the Trump era—are pushing toward a European cloud as a concrete response. But what does this mean for businesses and public administrations? The key lies in rethinking IT infrastructures, balancing security, autonomy, and practicality.

The dominant cloud model, offered by overseas tech giants, has revolutionized the way companies and governments manage data. Flexibility and scalability are its strengths, but the price is high: technological and commercial “lock-in” binds users to providers inextricably. In Europe, where the cloud market has grown sixfold since 2017, this translates into a strategic vulnerability. If an ally such as the United States becomes unreliable—or even hostile, as future scenarios suggest—the control of sensitive data risks slipping out of our hands. The Cloud Act, for example, obliges U.S. companies to provide access to data upon government request, regardless of where it is stored. Agreements like the Privacy Shield or the Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework, promoted to reassure Europe, have proven fragile, regularly struck down by the European Court of Justice due to the lack of real safeguards.

There is a response to this crisis, and it is already underway. Digital sovereignty is no longer an abstract concept, but a practical necessity. Projects such as EuroStack and standards like SECA (Sovereign European Cloud API) aim to create a European alternative, reducing lock-in and ensuring compliance with regulations such as the GDPR and the upcoming European Data Act. A European cloud does not merely protect data from unauthorized access—it redefines the rules of the game, offering reliable and controllable infrastructures. This doesn’t mean replicating the complexity of American giants, but focusing on simple and effective solutions, as already demonstrated by tools that have toppled seemingly untouchable monopolies thanks to a pragmatic approach.

The transition to a European cloud requires a shift in perspective. It’s not about chasing hyper-scalability for its own sake, but about returning to a modernized hosting model designed for real needs rather than tech trends. Public administrations, for instance, do not need “hyperscalers” to handle artificial traffic peaks like Click Days, but rather stable services, rigorously audited. Solutions like those offered by Certiblok, which integrate decentralized cloud and blockchain to ensure transparency and security in data management, prove that it is possible to build reliable infrastructures without depending on uncontrollable external providers. Digital sovereignty also means this: stopping the outsourcing of critical resources and building an IT ecosystem that responds to Europe’s strategic priorities.

In a world of trade wars and geopolitical uncertainty, digital sovereignty and a European cloud are not options—they are imperatives. European companies and governments can free themselves from American technological dependence, but clarity is needed: call the risks by their name, abandon losing models, and invest in solutions that prioritize security and autonomy. The path is laid out, and Europe’s digital future depends on our ability to walk it with determination.