Belgian telecoms operator Proximus has been selected by the European Commission to provide sovereign cloud services to EU institutions. The tender is part of the bloc’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign technology.
The Commission has set aside a total of 180 million euros for the six-year contract, under which Proximus, Luxembourg-based Post Telecom, Germany’s StackIT and France’s Scaleway will supply cloud infrastructure to dozens of EU bodies and agencies.
In order to qualify, providers were required to demonstrate that non-EU governments have limited control over their technology and services. According to the Commission, four contracts were awarded in parallel to ensure diversification and resilience, and to avoid over-reliance on a single provider.
Proximus is delivering its offering in collaboration with several partners, including through a joint venture involving Google’s cloud division. The company nonetheless maintains that its solution ensures “European legal control, data residency, and minimal dependency on non-European actors.”
EU relies on US cloud
The contract is part of a broader European push to reduce dependence on foreign technology companies for sensitive digital infrastructure. A study published on Wednesday by the Brussels-based think tank Future of Technology Institute found that 23 of 28 European countries rely on US technology for critical national security systems.
The research found that only Austria would face limited risk if the United States were to activate what the study calls a “kill switch” and cut off access to its cloud services. A number of other European countries face high risk.
The study identified Belgium’s ministry of Defence as a user of Microsoft services, raising questions about what might happen to such services if relations with the Trump administration were to deteriorate. Overall, Belgium falls into a middle-risk category, the think tank says.
PHOTO © Peter Hilz / HH
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