Why and how Europe's growing fear of Donald Trump is bad news for Microsoft, Google, Apple and others
European governments and institutions are accelerating efforts to reduce their dependence on American tech giants after President Trump used executive powers to force Microsoft to suspend the email account of an International Criminal Court prosecutor investigating Israel for war crimes, according to a New York Times report.
The February incident involving ICC prosecutor Karim Khan has become a watershed moment for European policymakers, who now view America's tech dominance as a potential weapon that could be wielded against them even in allied nations like the Netherlands. Microsoft's swift compliance with Trump's sanctions order shocked European officials and crystallized long-standing concerns about
digital sovereignty
.
"The I.C.C. showed this can happen," Dutch cybersecurity expert and European Parliament member Bart Groothuis told the Times. "It's not just fantasy." Groothuis, who previously supported U.S. tech firms, said he has done a "180-degree flip-flop" and now believes Europe must take steps toward greater technological independence.
European institutions scramble for alternatives
The ICC incident has prompted immediate changes across European institutions. Some ICC officials have switched to Proton, a Swiss encrypted email provider, while the court has implemented extensive measures to ensure operational continuity despite ongoing U.S. sanctions, three sources familiar with the communications revealed to the Times.
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American tech companies control over 70 percent of Europe's cloud computing market, making the region heavily dependent on services from Amazon, Google, and Microsoft for essential digital infrastructure including file storage, data retrieval, and software operations.
Tech giants offer reassurances but damage spreads
Microsoft President Brad Smith acknowledged that the ICC episode was a "symptom" of eroding U.S.-Europe trust, telling the Times that "the I.C.C. issue added fuel to a fire that was already burning." The company has since enacted policy changes to protect customers in similar geopolitical situations, and when Trump sanctioned four additional ICC judges this month, their email accounts remained active.
CEO Satya Nadella recently visited the Netherlands to announce new "sovereign solutions" for European institutions, including enhanced legal and data security protections. Amazon and Google have launched similar initiatives targeting European customers concerned about geopolitical volatility.
European governments pivot toward digital independence
Despite corporate reassurances, European nations are pursuing concrete alternatives. Denmark's digital ministry is testing Microsoft Office replacements, while Germany's Schleswig-Holstein state is reducing Microsoft usage. The Netherlands government has made digital autonomy a central priority, exploring partnerships with European providers.
The European Union has announced billion-euro investments in AI data centers and cloud infrastructure designed to reduce American tech dependence. European Parliament lawmakers are discussing policies favoring EU-based tech services for government procurement.
European cloud providers
like Netherlands-based Intermax Group and Switzerland's Exoscale report significant increases in new business. "A few years ago, everyone was saying, 'They're our trusted partners,'" Intermax CEO Ludo Baauw told the Times, referring to U.S. tech companies. "There's been a radical change."
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