A few developments from the past week that don't look connected at first glance, but together tell a coherent story.
Europe's three largest telecom operators (Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, and Telefónica) are exploring a joint European satellite network, bidding together for spectrum in the 2 GHz MSS band, explicitly to reduce dependency on Starlink. Switzerland's Federal Chancellery has started building its own alternative to Microsoft 365 for roughly 3,000 government employees. And on 4 September, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy jointly launched a digital infrastructure consortium. A concrete follow-up to last November's sovereignty summit in Berlin.
Even a smaller, almost symbolic data point fits the pattern: LibreOffice just broke its own download record, with the headline feature being the deliberate absence of AI functionality.
A fresh Capgemini study, published just yesterday, adds useful nuance to all of this: digital sovereignty has become a board-level topic for most organisations, but two-thirds now define it not as full independence, but as “resilient interdependence” — targeted control over critical technologies combined with strategic partnerships. 59% consider complete digital sovereignty unrealistic as a goal.
That's arguably the most useful reframing here: this isn't a story about Europe trying to build everything itself. It's about specific, deliberate choices — a satellite network, a workplace software programme, a four-country infrastructure consortium — each addressing a concrete dependency rather than chasing a sweeping ideal. Worth watching, whether or not you sit in the public sector.
Source: Capgemini
Related: Vendor Lock-in Checklist (free · 10 questions · 5 minutes)
Research as of: September 9, 2026 — Regulation evolves quickly; this post does not replace individual legal or professional advice.
