Author: Mark Schröder
Source: Criminal Court Wants to Move Away from Microsoft
Publication Date: October 30, 2025
Summary Reading Time: 3 minutes

Executive Summary

The International Criminal Court in The Hague is facing the complete migration of all 1,800 workstations from Microsoft Office to the German open-source platform Opendesk. This strategic decision follows the account suspension of Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan and in light of threatening US sanctions. Action Recommendation: Organizations with critical international relations should evaluate their dependency on US tech giants and examine alternative, sovereign IT solutions.

Critical Key Questions

How severely does dependence on US technology corporations endanger the operational capability of international organizations and state institutions?
What impact does the trend toward digital sovereignty have on the market position of established software giants like Microsoft?
Can European open-source alternatives achieve the functionality and user-friendliness of American market leaders in the long term?

Core Theme & Context

The International Criminal Court is responding to geopolitical IT risks through a complete replacement of Microsoft Office. The trigger was the Chief Prosecutor's account suspension as part of US sanctions against the court due to investigations against Benjamin Netanyahu.

Key Facts & Figures

1,800 workstations will be migrated to the German open-source solution "Opendesk"
Zendis (Center for Digital Sovereignty) is owned by the German federal administration
160,000 installations are planned to be reached in German administration by year-end
Schleswig-Holstein is already migrating 25,000 IT workstations to the Zendis solution
Robert Koch Institute (1,500 employees) is already successfully using Opendesk
Eight European software manufacturers form the basis of the Opendesk platform

Stakeholders & Affected Parties

Primarily affected:

International justice organizations
European government institutions
German federal administration and state administrations

Industry relevance:

Enterprise software providers
Cloud computing sector
Cybersecurity and digital sovereignty

Opportunities & Risks

Opportunities

Political independence from US technology corporations
Promotion of European IT competence and innovation
Cost reduction in licenses possible long-term

Risks

Short-term costly and inefficient according to IT manager
Compatibility gaps must be closed during usage
Productivity losses during transition phase

Scenario Analysis: Future Perspectives

Short-term (1 year)

Accelerated migration of critical institutions away from US software due to geopolitical tensions. Increased demand for European alternatives, but also adaptation difficulties with complex workflows.

Medium-term (5 years)

Establishment of a European software ecosystem for agencies and international organizations. Microsoft could respond with adapted compliance models or European data centers. Consolidation among open-source providers likely.

Long-term (10-20 years)

Fragmentation of the global software market along geopolitical lines. Europe possibly develops a completely autonomous digital infrastructure. Technological sovereignty becomes a decisive location factor for international organizations.

Action Relevance

Immediate measures:

Assessment of own dependency on US cloud services
Examination of European alternatives for critical business processes

Strategic considerations:

Integration of digital sovereignty into IT strategy
Risk management for geopolitical IT sanctions

Bibliography

Primary source:

Criminal Court Wants to Move Away from Microsoft - Handelsblatt

Supplementary sources:

Verification Status: ✅ Facts verified on October 30, 2025