- European companies are deeply locked in the suites and systems of foreign office
- US platforms manage communication ridges in Europe’s largest businesses
- Dependency of external providers exposing utilities and healthcare for foreign supervision
For years, European governments and businesses leaned heavily on US technology offers instead of nurturing local alternatives.
This choice now has visible consequences as sanctions and changing trade rules brought by Trump administration drastically transform the balance of power.
A recent analysis of Business -E -Mail domains across Europe by Proton shows a striking majority of listed companies that depend on US providers such as Google and Microsoft.
Data reveals the depth of addiction
Behind the rhetoric of digital sovereignty is the reality that much of Europe’s digital infrastructure rests on technology bucks that units outside its borders control. This is not just about convenience software, but also about important systems that support financing, healthcare and utilities.
E-mail may occur everyday, but it often acts as the gateway to office software, online collaboration platforms and cloud-based storage.
When a company commits to a provider to E -mail, it usually adopts the full suite that embedded foreign technology deep into its activities.
This trend is not limited to smaller economies, but also includes the continent’s biggest players, where addiction cuts across industries from energy and telecommunications to pharmaceutical drugs.
In countries such as Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden, over 90% of listed companies are dependent on US services to E email and related infrastructure.
However, Shocker is probably Ireland, which is on logger heads with the United States on several policies, but 93% of its businesses rely on US tech.
The United Kingdom, although mostly has an ally in the United States, has an alarming 88% of companies that depend on US tech, while other European heavy weights such as Spain, Portugal and Switzerland registered 74%, 72% and 68% of companies that depend on US Tech.
Even France, which often advocates its own autonomy, sees two out of three (66%) companies tied to US providers.
Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria (16%) and Romania (39%) are least dependent on American tech, and Russia is not even on the list of nations that depend on the United States.
National security concerns arise when utilities, transport systems and health facilities communicate through networks governed by foreign jurisdictions, but perhaps not when the network belongs to the United States.
The addiction extends far beyond the convenience; It integrates into the systems themselves that Europeans use every day – dependence on foreign technology is not just economic vulnerability; It raises questions about surveillance, geopolitical leverage and the future of innovation.
AI training programs outside of Europe’s control can sweep sensitive business data, while dependence on external platforms exposes companies to guaranteed legal requirements.
This scheme has also promoted a talent and capital drain as engineers and investors direct their focus on Silicon Valley rather than strengthen European ecosystems, whether through proprietary services or alternative Linux -Distros.
Some claim that American technology simply offers the best available tools, which can be true in terms of efficiency and global reach, but the consequences of addiction are ever harder to ignore, as the United States can turn off contact at any time and thousands of companies will be in crisis.
The fact that so many European companies cannot function without US software demonstrates the fragile nature of Europe’s autonomy.
Instead of ensuring independence, Europe risks locking itself further into external addictions at a moment of political wind in Washington changing.
