Beltug has recently been approached by several members — ranging from companies and hospitals to industry and government — regarding the evolving tech relations between the US and EU. This reflects rising concerns about data privacy and dependency. Beltug will continue to support its members with practical insights, peer exchanges and guidance on this evolving topic.
03 / 04 / 25
Rising geopolitical tensions and growing concerns about Belgian and European organisations’ reliance on US cloud and software providers — especially in light of recent US policy changes and privacy issues — have created confusion and unease around tech sovereignty. Events such as President Trump’s Executive Order weakening US-EU data protection agreements, with the shake-up at the US Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), have heightened awareness and added a sense of urgency to the issue.
We’ve had several discussions within Beltug about this topic, around the following topics:
Our discussions have revealed a recurring need for information on:
The availability of EU-based IT solutions is mixed:
There is also growing interest in how to support and encourage European IT solutions. EuroStack, for example, aims to offer a European alternative for digital sovereignty: you can read their report here.
This is far from a Belgium-only issue. Beltug collaborates closely with CIO associations in France, Germany and the Netherlands — where the same concerns are surfacing. The appointment of a European Vice President for Technology Sovereignty is a welcome step toward addressing them. The CIO associations are in contact with her cabinet.