Away from Microsoft: MEPs demand digital sovereignty in the EU Parliament

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Amid growing concerns about Europe's excessive reliance on US tech giants, a cross-party group of MEPs has strongly urged the administration and leadership of the EU Parliament to abandon the internal use of Microsoft software. This includes the currently ubiquitous cloud-based Office 365 suite within the chamber. Instead, European alternatives should be introduced.

Politico and Euractiv report on a corresponding letter. The letter is expected to be submitted to Parliament President Roberta Metsola soon.

More than just renouncing Microsoft

The appeal comes at a time when the dominance of a few large US corporations is increasingly viewed as a risk to Europe's security and prosperity. At the same time, the US government, at a meeting in Brussels, has once again demanded digital concessions from the EU. The 38 signatories of the urgent letter are not only demanding the abandonment of Microsoft programs. They also point to screens, keyboards, and mice from Dell, HP, and LG, which are used in the Parliament's IT systems, as replaceable technology.

"With its thousands of employees and its enormous resources, the European Parliament is best positioned to drive the push for technological sovereignty," the letter reportedly states. The people's representatives emphasize that even "old friends can turn into enemies and their companies can become a political tool." Therefore, the EU should not "afford this dependence on foreign technology." Nor should it continue to transfer "billions of taxpayer money abroad."

Windows should also go

The parliamentarians cite a wide range of European alternatives that they consider viable solutions. These include the Norwegian internet browser Vivaldi, the French search engine Qwant, the secure Swiss email suite Proton, and the German collaboration platform Nextcloud. The German Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs recently also pointed to the further development and establishment of the solution OpenDesk, which is considered an alternative to MS 365.

"Our medium-term goal should be the complete phasing out of Microsoft products, including the Windows operating system. This is easier than it sounds," the MEPs admit. In this context, they also praise the recent step taken by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which, due to US sanctions, has parted ways with Microsoft and opted for OpenDesk.

Among the signatories are influential members from all major parliamentary groups, such as Aura Salla (EPP), Birgit Sippel (SPD), Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (Liberals), Green MEP Alexandra Geese, and Left MEP Leïla Chaibi.

"Made in EU" dominates the fleet

As an example of feasibility, the MEPs state: "The Parliament's fleet consists almost exclusively of cars from European brands. The same can be replicated for computer end products." They are pushing for the establishment of a working group of MEPs and parliamentary staff to accompany and monitor this transition. This is accompanied by the statement: "With enough political will, we will have freed this institution from the danger of dependence on foreign technology by the end of the legislative period."

Austrian liberal Helmut Brandstätter, who is coordinating the initiative, explained: Currently, the Parliament is "running on foreign software that can be switched off, monitored, or politically instrumentalized overnight. This is not only impractical but a strategic vulnerability." He emphasized that the intention is not an "anti-American" but a "pro-European sovereignty measure."

Last week, at a summit in Berlin, Germany supported France's long-standing demands to make Europe technologically more independent of the USA and to pursue its own path to digital sovereignty. A Microsoft spokesperson countered that the US company is "proud to offer the most comprehensive sovereignty solutions on the market today." The company wants to continue to ensure that the EU Parliament and other European customers "have the options and assurances they need to work with confidence."

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