European efforts to build independent cloud infrastructure face challenges from regulatory overreach and dependence on U.S. cloud providers. Some say that a balanced approach focused on collaboration and flexible standards will be needed to strengthen data sovereignty and foster regional growth.

Eighty percent of corporate executives in Germany say that Europe’s future prosperity will depend on secure and independent digital infrastructure. Yet in today’s market, three U.S.-based tech giants—Amazon, Microsoft, and Google—own more than two-thirds of global cloud infrastructure.

Amid rapid digitalization in healthcare, finance, and government, many European organizations continue to store data on foreign-controlled platforms. This dependence has fueled worries over security, compliance, and a general lack of European “data sovereignty.”

European policymakers recognized this risk early. Initiatives like Gaia-X were designed to spark homegrown cloud alternatives and minimize exposure to U.S. vendors. Despite that intention, regulatory hurdles, fragmented efforts, and a lack of workable local platforms have redirected the market back toward established American cloud services, draining momentum from efforts toward a viable European alternative.

The question remains: how can Europe rethink its strategy to build effective digital sovereignty without creating administrative burdens that have so far held the market back?

Too much, too soon: the costs of red tape

Europe’s primary obstacle is less about the available technical expertise or demand, and more about how projects have been built and managed so far. The biggest issue isn’t just the dominant position of American cloud vendors—it’s the regulatory environment in Europe itself. The EU tends to create too much red tape, which slows down local innovation and makes it difficult for European cloud providers to scale.

An illustrative case is the Gaia-X initiative, set up to unify European cloud providers into a single, sovereign ecosystem. While the idea was well-founded, the project was hampered by overstructured controls from the start. The EU tried to manage too much. As a result, they introduced complex rules, set up new obstacles, and required so many steps that momentum was lost. In practice, it became nearly impossible to make things work. The failure was not from a lack of potential, but from bureaucracy and rigid policies.

Instead of creating a set of flexible common standards while infrastructure matured, Europe imposed rigid requirements around data sovereignty, interoperability, and security before a functional alternative cloud environment was available. These early demands, however well-intended, stalled progress, pushing prospective competitors to the margins, and ultimately leading companies to the only proven cloud players in the market—the U.S.-based “hyperscalers.”

Finding a new path forward: collaboration without overregulation

Europe’s future efforts could therefore benefit from a more practical strategy, one that brings in many providers, allowing for incremental development, by putting innovation before overengineering.

A key lesson from Gaia-X is that excessive regulation can stop even strong ideas. Future projects should remain focused on openness and technical clarity, working to ensure that any provider—big or small—can have a meaningful role without excess bureaucracy.

Newer initiatives like ECOFED may provide a more promising example by bringing together existing European cloud computing capabilities rather than building a platform from scratch. This approach prioritizes common standards and collaboration, attracting large stakeholders while also creating opportunities for specialized regional players to thrive.

In the long run, a strong European cloud infrastructure is about balancing opportunity, security, and autonomy. Developing a stronger regional ecosystem means more than excluding U.S. cloud companies. It’s about building up local value, keeping investment and expertise in Europe, retaining flexibility in sensitive situations, and creating a base for new solutions. If we make space for innovation to grow on its own terms, everyone benefits: enterprises, governments, and Europe as a whole.