Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002537/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Catherine Griset (PfE), Pierre Pimpie (PfE), Aleksandar Nikolic (PfE), Marie Dauchy (PfE), Gilles Pennelle (PfE), Virginie Joron (PfE), Jean-Paul Garraud (PfE), Pascale Piera (PfE)
Two Danish municipalities, Copenhagen and Aarhus, are switching away from some Microsoft services to reduce costs after Microsoft increased its prices, and also to reduce their technological dependence on the United States[1].
On the issue of reducing technological dependence, the risk is that US tech companies could be instructed by their government to suspend electronic messaging systems, by way of a sanction.
The president of Microsoft has, however, announced that if its cloud activities were to be suspended in Europe, by order of the US authorities, it would quickly take the legal steps required to re-establish those services.
- 1.Does the Commission believe that the company being prepared to take such legal steps offers sufficient assurance?
- 2.If messaging systems or data hosting is suspended by US companies, by order of their government, for example, as a form of blackmail in trade negotiations, what retaliatory measures are envisaged?
- 3.Have tests been conducted to facilitate the migration of messaging and data hosting services to European set-ups?
Submitted: 24.6.2025
- [1] https://www.usine-digitale.fr/article/souverainete-numerique-copenhague-et-aarhus-enclenchent-leur-divorce-avec-microsoft.N2233228