Our Basic Belief
Reclaiming Europe’s Digital Sovereignty: A Personal Reflection
Over the past few years, we’ve watched with growing concern as more and more of Europe’s critical infrastructure quietly shifts onto US-based cloud platforms. From government services to hospitals and schools, we’re handing over control of systems that are core to our societies. Especially concerning is how dependent we now are on giant US technology companies. Now we have to contend with legal frameworks that don’t align with European values. I am an Austrian Citizen with dual American and Austrian citizenship. I’ve lived and worked all over Europe during my career. I am speaking as someone with a unique EU and American perspective.
The question that keeps coming up for me is:
Why are we doing this to ourselves?
The Illusion of No Alternatives
Bert Hubert’s article, “Europe’s Self-Inflicted Cloud Crisis,” captures something many of us in tech have sensed for a while. There’s a growing myth that unless you’re building everything on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, you’re falling behind.
That’s simply not true.
Europe already has the infrastructure we need: world-class data centers, capable engineers, fast networks, and a deep pool of open-source tools. So why are so far behind? We are not missing the technology. We have taken our eye off the ball. Look at what has happened to Nord Stream 2, a European strategy to link our energy strategy to Russia. Clearly there was risk. With the benefit of time, that particular strategy looks like an unwise decision through the rearview mirror.
I learned a long time ago that outsourcing something broken to a third party will always get you in trouble. This is absolutely true. Trouble provisioning servers? Instead of fixing the problem, outsource to another firm that has optimized the process. This generates value in the short term as we have seen. There are, however, unintended consequences. We’ve taken outsourcing to the limit in a very short time and the surrendering of digital sovereignty is a steep price to pay.
Why We Started Privacore Technology
Privacore was born out of a conviction that digital sovereignty doesn’t need to come at the expense of value generation, usability or innovation. We help organizations, both public institutions and privacy-conscious companies, take back control over their infrastructure and data, using tools and providers that are built in Europe, governed by European law, and aligned with our values.
We assist our clients working with trusted platforms like Hetzner, OVH, and Scaleway, to successfully integrate open-source solutions like Nextcloud, Keycloak, and Matrix to create powerful, modern alternatives to the hyperscalers.
This is about building what already works—and helping others do the same.
A Call to Technologists, Leaders, and Builders
If you’re a CIO at a municipality, a systems lead at a public agency, or an IT strategist at a forward-looking enterprise, We’re speaking to you. We are also speaking to peers at organizations like Netcompany, SAP, Capgemini, Thales, Deutsche Telekom, and to individuals across the continent who are quietly wrestling with the same questions.
You don’t have to wait for a “perfect” European AWS to arrive. You can take action now—by choosing open standards, building portable architectures, and engaging with providers who respect your autonomy.
What’s at Stake
This is personal for us. Digital sovereignty isn’t just about compliance—it’s about resilience, accountability, and the freedom to build systems on your own terms.
If we don’t change course, we risk becoming a digital colony—not because we lack the tools, but because it feels easier to give in. But we don’t have to. We built this continent’s digital backbone once and we can pivot our direction and move forward.
And at Privacore, we’re here to help.
Are you exploring alternatives to US-based cloud platforms? Want to see what a European-first approach could look like for your organization?