Publication Date: 17.11.2025
Overview
- Author: Manager Magazin
- Source: manager-magazin.de
- Date: 17.11.2025
- Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
Article Summary
What is this about? The Digital Summit in Berlin addresses Europe's critical dependence on US tech corporations and the development of digital sovereignty. The topic has evolved from an IT niche area to a central political concern.
Key Facts:
- 900 participants expected at the summit with Chancellor Merz and President Macron
- 90% of German companies (20+ employees) use cloud services
- 78% of executives view dependence on US cloud providers as critical
- US laws like the CLOUD Act and FISA 702 enable data access even when stored in Europe
- Federal Police use Amazon Web Services for body camera recordings
- Europe is technologically dependent in AI, microelectronics, and cybersecurity
- Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act aim to create fair competitive conditions
Affected Groups: European companies, public administration, start-ups, technology sector, and all users of digital services with sensitive data.
Opportunities & Risks:
- Opportunities: Strengthening European technology companies, better data protection, reduced dependencies
- Risks: Further innovation lag, higher costs, potential "digital protectionism"
Recommendations: Companies should reconsider their cloud strategies and examine European alternatives. Politics must create unified EU rules and promote investments in domestic technologies.
Looking to the Future
Short-term (1 year): Intensified political initiatives to promote European cloud providers and stricter enforcement of EU digital laws.
Medium-term (5 years): Emergence of competitive European cloud alternatives and possible tightening of regulation for US tech corporations.
Long-term (10–20 years): Potential fragmentation of digital space into regional blocks ("Splinternet") with different technological standards and data protection rules.
Fact Check
The information about US laws like the CLOUD Act and FISA 702 is correct and verifiable through official sources. The statistics on cloud usage come from the industry association Bitkom and are plausible. The statements about European technology dependence align with other studies and reports [✓ Verified].
Additional Sources
- Bitkom Study: "Cloud Computing in Germany 2025" - Current figures on cloud usage
- BSI Guidelines: "Requirements for Cloud Computing Providers" - Security criteria for authorities
- EU Commission: "European Digital Sovereignty Strategy" - Official EU strategy for digital independence
Source List
- Original Source: Digital Summit in Berlin: Europe's Fight Against US Dominance in Cloud Services, Manager Magazin, Link
- Additional Sources:
- Bitkom Cloud Study 2025, Bitkom e.V.
- BSI Cloud Guidelines, Federal Office for Information Security
- European Digital Sovereignty Strategy, European Commission
- Facts verified: on 17.11.2025
Brief Summary
Europe recognizes its critical dependence on US tech corporations and seeks ways toward digital sovereignty. The Digital Summit in Berlin aims to initiate concrete steps to strengthen European alternatives and create fair competitive conditions. The issue is of strategic importance as US laws enable access to European data, creating security risks. The challenge lies in promoting innovation without digitally isolating oneself.
Three Key Questions
Freedom vs. Security: Does building European "digital fortresses" lead to more protection or does it restrict corporate freedom of choice and innovation?
Political Responsibility: What responsibility does European politics bear for the continent becoming so heavily dependent on US corporations for key technologies?
Transparency in Data Access: How can companies and citizens be better informed about the actual risks and access possibilities of foreign intelligence services to their data?
ℹ️ Meta
- Version: 1.0
- Author: press@clarus.news
- License: CC-BY 4.0
- Last Updated: 17.11.2025