‘For many years, Europe has relied on American software and therefore created a certain risk of dependency’, said Office.eu’s CEO.
Much has happened over the past few years for Europe to decide to tighten its reigns on data in the region.
Examples include numerous comments from US president Donald Trump threatening action against the EU for its supposed discriminatory actions against US Big Tech, the possibility of the US government compelling US tech companies to share EU data, and not to mention the very same Big Tech companies dominating the region’s market while also violating its laws.
Microsoft 365 was found to have been tracking EU school students’ data illegally, Apple was found to be preventing EU users from exercising choice, and Meta was forcing users to pay or consent to its data tracking.
Last November, around 900 policymakers and other stakeholders gathered in Berlin to discuss ways to make Europe more technologically resilient, and less dependent on the US.
France and Germany took centre stage, announcing a joint taskforce on digital sovereignty, aiming for a
“The Digital Sovereignty Summit sends a clear signal – Europe has what it takes to lead the digital age,” commented French president Emmanuel Macron at the time. “Europe is stepping up to accelerate the development of European innovation, to uphold strong data protection and to call for fair market conditions.”
The idea of digital sovereignty has finally taken centre stage in Europe, after years of the region conducting its business and administration on infrastructure made elsewhere.
It’s unsurprising then that a wholly European-owned alternative to Microsoft Office and Google Workspace, called Office.eu, made its debut last week, promising to enable organisations to regain control over their data and digital operations.
“We have seen more and more how essential it is to become cloud-independent and to rely on software that is built around European values,” said Maarten Roelfs, the CEO of Office.eu. The Hague-headquartered company was founded in 2024 and started operating early this year.
“For many years, Europe has relied on American software and therefore created a certain risk of dependency, but we have also given away the control over our own data. Office.eu proves that we now have a strong European alternative, with sovereignty, privacy and transparency at its core.”
Office.eu runs entirely on European data centres. Built on an open-source foundation, the platform offers a cloud drive, tools such as emails, spreadsheets, presentations and calendar, and video conference services.
Early access already has nearly 15,000 applicants, Office.eu told SiliconRepublic.com. A phased European rollout is planned for the second quarter.
Office.eu’s Office Suite is not the first of its kind, however. Infomaniak, which describes itself as an “ethical cloud with no bullshit”, launched ‘kSuite’ back in 2022, with a Microsoft Teams alternative called ‘kChat’, and the option to use Microsoft Office with documents hosted in Switzerland.
OpenDesk, created by the German Centre for Digital Sovereignty, offers similar tools for use by the German administration. There are others as well, such as NextCloud, which offers self-hosted file storage and a chat function.
“The Rubicon has been crossed. American tech firms can no longer offer assurances to European companies that their data sovereignty will be protected,” Roelfs told Stories of Purpose.
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