‘There is no such thing as happy vassalage’: President Macron underlines the urgent need for a sovereign European cloud

A lucid assessment: Europe has delegated its critical infrastructures for too long

I am delighted to see President Macron expressing himself so clearly and convincingly on the need for European digital sovereignty. I particularly welcome his clear-sightedness in acknowledging that ‘I think we have made a very serious mistake in not having a truly European cloud. And what’s more, we need to get back to the task’. This realisation at the highest level of government sends out a strong signal to all players in the European digital sector. However, more than getting back to the task, it is the European vision of what a cloud is that needs to be reviewed. If it were just a question of infrastructure, the cloud giants would be AOL and Verizon. But today, the hyperscalers are Microsoft, Google and Amazon, companies where software is at the centre. The Americans have understood this, and it’s vital that Europe does too: the cloud isn’t just about servers, it’s also, and above all, about software.

The President also rightly pointed out that ‘it was so comfortable to be hand in glove with the Americans’, but that ‘we cannot depend on a few American companies to have a real cloud. Because this is also in the general European interest. It’s a necessity.’ His phrase ‘there is no such thing as happy vassalage’ must become our leitmotiv in the construction of a technologically independent and sovereign Europe.

This declaration is perfectly in line with the signing of the contract for the ‘software and trusted digital solutions’ sector, adopted by Philippe Baptiste, Marc Ferracci, Clara Chappaz and Michel Paulin, whose objectives are to promote the development of sovereign digital infrastructures, to strengthen training in trusted digital technologies, and to create value and encourage innovation on a French scale.

The cloud war is not lost, it’s just beginning

Contrary to what many people are saying today, the cloud war is not over for Europe. It has only just begun, and President Macron’s statement is a powerful reminder of this. It’s true that the American giants have taken a considerable lead, but the history of technology shows us that nothing can ever be taken for granted.

It’s crucial to add one essential nuance: European skills, technologies and cloud solutions already exist. It’s not a question of rebuilding everything from scratch, but rather of making better use of it, providing better support and better coordination. Solid, innovative and committed players are already working every day to offer a credible alternative to non-European solutions.
The new challenges of data sovereignty, cybersecurity and strategic autonomy are opening up a new phase in this technological battle. Europe has all the cards in its hand – talent, infrastructure, software, markets – to build a credible and sovereign alternative, provided we believe in it collectively and give ourselves the means to do so.

An action plan to turn this ambition into reality

President Macron said: ‘This is a strategic awakening. We must therefore regain this strategic autonomy, which is essential, everywhere, in every segment of our research and industry.’

To turn this vision into reality, it is essential to benefit from :

Clever Cloud already committed to building a sovereign European cloud

At Clever Cloud, we haven’t just been waiting for this strategic awakening, we’ve been committed to being the architects of it for several years, along with many members of the ecosystem. We are actively contributing to numerous European collaborative initiatives such as CollabNext and Hyper Open X. We are also working on the emergence of European software and hardware solutions through recent calls for projects that we have launched.

The Sorbonne appeal must become a binding European agenda

This speech must not simply be another moment of communication. It must inaugurate a decade of coordinated action to ensure that our research, our data and our innovation are hosted, processed and governed in Europe. Not in Seattle, not in Palo Alto, not in Shanghai. In AI, in the cloud, in code archiving, Europe must be a player, not a spectator. It must fund its own laboratories of excellence, its start-ups, its supercomputers, and above all its digital commons.

France has everything it takes to play a leading role in this European dynamic. The time has come to move from words to deeds, by aligning our public policies with this strong ambition expressed by the President of the Republic.
Many of us are ready to play our full part in this fight. But Europe must finally take action.

Quentin Adam, CEO – Clever Cloud