Is Europe too dependent on American technology? According to many analysts, yes — especially since the new global order is based on the law of the strongest

In recent years, the principles that had underpinned the global economy for decades – such as globalization and the free market – have gradually weakened. This process has been driven above all by the more or less explicit rejection, on the part of some major powers, of international law, that is, the set of shared rules that various countries have developed to limit the use of violence and prevent the outbreak of new conflicts.

The US attack against Venezuela is an emblematic example of this shift, as it shows how Trump and his administration have violated many of the rules that the United States had long claimed to promote. An attitude that, on closer inspection, does not differ much from that adopted by Vladimir Putin in the case of Ukraine, nor from that of Chinese President Xi Jinping toward Taiwan.

For this reason, many analysts describe the current historical moment as the end of the system of rules and practices that had governed the world order from 1945 onward. In this context, Europe has begun to question with increasing urgency its own economic and energy dependence. However, as the Wall Street Journal recently reported, speaking of a «nightmare scenario», another source of concern is also emerging: technological dependence on the United States.

The problem of Europe’s technological dependence

Recent political tensions between the United States and Europe have made it more evident how digital infrastructures can potentially be a strategic asset, on a par with energy and defense. In an extreme scenario, feared by several observers, it cannot be ruled out that the Trump administration might limit European access to essential technological services – such as data centers, cloud platforms, and management software, among others: a possibility that would seriously endanger the provision of essential services across the continent.

A large share of the daily activities of companies, public administrations, hospitals, and schools, among the many entities involved, depends on solutions developed and managed by US technology groups: while on the one hand this has fostered innovation and the rapid spread of advanced digital tools, on the other it has created a structural dependence that is difficult to do without.

This was recently seen, on a smaller scale, in the dispute between the Italian Communications Authority (AGCOM) and the US IT platform Cloudflare, which was fined 14 million euros for failing to cooperate, as requested by Italy, in removing certain illegally distributed content. Cloudflare’s CEO, Matthew Prince, reacted very harshly to the fine, threatening to suspend the essential cybersecurity services that his company provides in Italy, and in particular those worth millions of dollars that it is providing pro bono for the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

How Europe is moving on digital infrastructures

European Union institutions are trying to strengthen the concept of “technological sovereignty”, meaning the ability to design, manage, and directly control crucial digital infrastructures. According to several analysts, even the remote possibility of an abrupt interruption of US digital services is enough to justify more decisive investments in European alternatives. This strategy fits into a broader path that includes initiatives such as the Gaia-X project, created to build a European cloud infrastructure based on common standards, interoperability, and data protection.

Not by chance, not long ago the European Parliament approved a resolution urging to prioritize European technological products and services in public procurement, where possible, and to support the development of continental digital platforms. At the same time, the Union is investing in key sectors such as submarine cables, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and telecommunications platforms, among other things, always with the aim of creating a more autonomous technological ecosystem. The difficulties, however, are considerable, given that major US companies in the sector have enormous financial resources, a consolidated technological advantage, and a pervasive presence in the market.