politico.eu
November 24, 2025 9:12 pm CET
By Mathieu Pollet

“We cannot afford this level of dependence on foreign tech,” lawmakers say in letter obtained by POLITICO.

BRUSSELS — A cross-party group of lawmakers will urge the European Parliament to ditch internal use of Microsoft’s ubiquitous software in favor of a European alternative, according to a letter obtained by POLITICO.

The call comes amid fresh concerns that the dominance of a handful of U.S. tech giants has become too much of a liability for Europe’s security and prosperity, and as the U.S. administration renewed demands for digital concessions at a meeting in Brussels on Monday.

In the scathing letter to be delivered to Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Tuesday, 38 lawmakers also list the screens, keyboards and mouses from Dell, HP and LG — in use across the chamber’s IT systems — as technology that should be ditched.

“With its thousands of employees and vast resources, the European Parliament is best positioned to galvanise the push for tech sovereignty,” the letter reads. “When even old friends can turn into foes and their companies into a political tool, we cannot afford this level of dependence on foreign tech, let alone continue funneling billions of taxpayers' money abroad.”

The lawmakers cite a broad range of European alternatives they argue are viable solutions: from Norwegian internet browser Vivaldi, French search engine Qwant and Swiss secure email suite Proton to German collaboration platform Nextcloud.

“Our mid-term goal should be the complete phase-out of Microsoft products, including the Windows operating system. It’s easier than it sounds,” the lawmakers say, praising the International Criminal Court’s recent move to drop Microsoft over U.S. sanction fears.

The letter is signed by influential members including MEPs Aura Salla and Mika Aaltola from the center-right EPP; Birgit Sippel and Raphaël Glucksmann from the center-left S&D; Stéphanie Yon-Courtin and Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann from the centrist Renew Europe group; Alexandra Geese and Kim van Sparrentak from the Greens; and Leïla Chaibi and Merja Kyllönen from The Left.

“The Parliament's vehicle fleet is almost entirely made up of cars from European brands. The same can be replicated for end-product computer hardware,” they argue. They call to set up a task group of lawmakers and Parliament staffers to help and monitor that transition.

“With enough political will, we will have freed this institution from the danger of foreign tech dependency by the end of the mandate,” they write.

Last week saw Germany swing behind a long-standing push from France to make Europe more reliant on its own technology companies and chart its digital independence from the U.S., at a political summit in Berlin.

Austrian centrist lawmaker Helmut Brandstätter, who coordinated the initiative, said in a statement: “Right now, the European Parliament runs on foreign software that can be switched off, monitored, or politically weaponised overnight. That is not just inconvenient, it is a strategic vulnerability," adding this isn't “anti-American” but “pro European sovereignty.”

“Microsoft is proud to offer the broadest set of sovereignty solutions on the market today,” Robin Koch, a spokesperson for the company, said in a statement. “We will continue to look for new ways to ensure the European Parliament and our other European customers have the options and assurances they need to operate with confidence.”

Cyberattacks are part of Russia’s hybrid warfare strategy, designed not only to cause harm, but to “demonstrate what they are capable of.”

The Norwegian Police Security Service suspects pro-Russian hackers sabotaged a dam in southwestern Norway in April.

Norwegian daily newspaper VG reported that the hackers breached the dam’s control system, opening valves for four hours, sending large amounts of water gushing forth until the valves could be shut.

The chief of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) Beate Gangås, disclosed the incident during a presentation on pro-Russian cyber operations at a public event on Wednesday.

According to VG, Gangås said that the number of cyberattacks on Western infrastructure was increasing, often not to cause damage but to “demonstrate what they are capable of.” She also said Norway should be prepared for further hacking attacks.

At the same event, Nils Andreas Stensønes, head of the Norwegian Intelligence Service said that Russia was the biggest threat to Norway’s security.

Cyberattacks on Western targets are part of Russia’s hybrid warfare strategy. In another water-related case in January 2024, a hacking group breached a Texas water facility’s system, causing it to overflow. The suspected hackers are linked to the Kremlin.

The dam is located in the municipality of Bremanger, approximately 150 kilometers north of the city of Bergen. Local media say that the dam is not used for energy production and that the hackers might have exploited a security gap created by a weak password.