Market signals, February 2026
Across Europe, concerns are growing about dependence on foreign technology providers for cloud infrastructure, AI systems and digital services.
What was once a policy discussion is now influencing decisions made by governments, public institutions and businesses. For years, technology purchasing decisions in European organisations were driven mainly by functionality, price and convenience. But now, resilience and control are also in consideration.
This feels similar to how supply chain and procurement dealings evolved after the pandemic. Businesses discovered that efficiency and resilience are not always on the same side. The same question is now emerging in technology. Leaders are starting to ask what happens when critical systems, data or AI capabilities are concentrated in the hands of a small group of providers operating in different jurisdictions.
For marketers, the immediate impact may be limited but the longer-term shift could be more significant. Technology decisions are becoming intertwined with risk, governance and geopolitical considerations. As organisations review suppliers and platforms, trust, transparency and ownership may become more important parts of the buying conversation than they were a few years ago. Europe’s push for greater digital sovereignty reflects a broader desire to reduce dependency on technologies that sit outside its regional control.
More information at this link -> France dumps Zoom and Teams as Europe seeks digital autonomy from the US
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