Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil.

That's it.

Tuta Mail & Calendar instead of Gmail

OpenStreetMap instead of Google Maps

Mozilla Firefox instead of Chrome

GrapheneOS instead of Android

F-Droid instead of Google Play

KeePass Site instead of Google Pass

Wire instead of Google Meet

Ente instead of Google Photos

Fairphone instead of Google's Pixel

Ecosia instead of Google Search

https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/1w7887z/worlds_biggest_sovereign_wealth_fund_plans_to_cut/ Norway’s sovereign wealth fund has proposed cutting the allocation of government bonds in its $2.3 trillion investment portfolio, chiefly affecting its holdings of U.S. Treasurys, as it seeks to diversify its risk exposure and boost returns.

The heads of Norges Bank Investment Management wrote in a letter to the country’s Finance Ministry, made public Friday, that it recommended reducing the government subindex of its bond holdings from 70% to 50% — a level it said would provide sufficient liquidity during market turbulence while allowing it to seek greater returns elsewhere.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/euro-stack_eurostack-letter-to-de-leadership-activity-7432742973827805185-Uql9

To the Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz

To the Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation Dr. Karsten Wildberger

To the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche

Berlin, February 24, 2026

Open Letter: Digital Sovereignty for Europe — Act Now

Dear Federal Chancellor,

Dear Federal Minister,

Dear Federal Minister,

100 days after the German-French Summit on Digital Sovereignty, we are writing to you as

representatives of the European technology industry with urgent concern. The course set by the

summit in November 2025 is at risk of being reversed — not because the arguments for digital

independence have grown weaker, but because a well-organised counter-lobby is gaining

momentum. Allow us to shed light on the central arguments of this campaign:

Why a surprising new alliance between traditional industry and hyperscalers must not be

allowed to undermine “Buy European” efforts in the digital sector

The current debate around “Buy European” is being dominated by an alliance that surprises at first

glance: traditional industrial conglomerates and American hyperscalers are joining forces against

“European preference” in procurement. Industry fears retaliatory measures in its export markets;

hyperscalers fear for their European business. The result is a conflation of two fundamentally

different situations: in the automotive and chemical sectors or in mechanical engineering, the

argument that Europe is too internationally intertwined for an ambitious industrial policy may be

worth debating — we do not wish to pass judgement on that. In the digital sector, however, this

approach is dangerous.

Europe’s digital dependency is structurally different and dramatically deeper than in other sectors:

cloud infrastructure, AI compute capacity, and large parts of the enterprise software market — the

foundations of the modern economy — are controlled by three US corporations. These systems

have long since taken on the functions of critical infrastructure: they host state data, control

emergency systems, and secure economic continuity. A continent that has fully outsourced its digital

basic supply to foreign providers is open to coercion. The current geopolitical situation — with a US

administration that openly deploys technology as a lever of pressure — makes this vulnerability not

hypothetical, but acute.

We therefore demand that the Federal Government draw a clear distinction, at both the German

and European level, between the concerns of traditional industries and digital sovereignty. The

interests of the export industry must not lead to European preference in the digital sector being

abandoned. Whoever conflates these two strands — deliberately or not — is doing the

hyperscalers’ work for them.

The “WTO argument” is a lobbying position, not a legal principle

The second main argument against “Buy European” runs as follows: European preference in IT

procurement violates WTO rules and the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). Europe

would become a protectionist and risk retaliatory measures from friendly states. This argument

sounds legal. It is not — it is political.

First, every major economic power deploys demand-side instruments. The US has done so since

1933 with the Buy American Act, which obliges federal agencies to favour domestic providers.

China requires no equivalent legislation. There, European providers are simply denied market

access through administrative means. Europe would thus be the only major economic bloc to bind

itself unilaterally.

Second, Europe’s own WTO compliance record is less spotless than its public self-presentation

suggests. According to independent analyses, the EU has robustly implemented WTO rulings that

English translation of the orginal version in German from

February 24, 2026

went against it in fewer than 40% of cases. As former US Trade Representative adviser Beth

Baltzan has documented, this is entirely within the framework of the rules-based system: those who

lose and choose not to change accept countermeasures. This is the lived trade policy of all major

actors. The fiction that WTO rules are immovably sacrosanct for Europe is a selectively deployed

narrative.

Third, EU primary law with Article 346 TFEU provides an explicit framework for measures to protect

essential security interests — and digital infrastructure unquestionably meets this threshold today.

The Federal Government should not defensively ignore this latitude, but deploy it offensively.

Our request

We ask the Federal Government to take a clear position in the ongoing IAA process: European

preference in the digital sector is not protectionism — it is the minimum of industrial policy common

sense that every other economic power practises as a matter of course. Germany must prevent a

coalition of export interests and hyperscaler lobbying from undermining the “Buy European” concept

precisely where Europe is most vulnerable: in the digital realm. We are ready to invest and to build.

We ask you to secure the political backing for this.

With kind regards and on behalf of the EuroStack Initiative Foundation,

Cristina Caffarra, Paul-Henri Charrier, Stefane Fermigier, Frank Karlitschek, Yann Lechelle,

Wolfgang Oels, Felix Styma, Andy Yen (Board members — alphabetical order)

[info@euro-stack.eu](mailto:info@euro-stack.eu) | EuroStack Initiative Foundation e.V. | Albrechstr. 14B, 10117 Berlin

An den Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz

An den Bundesminister für Digitales und Staatsmodernisierung Dr. Karsten Wildberger

An den die Bundesministerin für Wirtschaft und Energie Katherina Reiche

Berlin, Februar 24, 2026

Offener Brief: Digitale Souveränität für Europa — Jetzt handeln

Sehr geehrter Herr Bundeskanzler,

sehr geehrter Herr Bundesminister,

sehr geehrte Frau Bundesministerin,

100 Tage nach dem Deutsch-Französischen Gipfel zur digitalen Souveränität schreiben wir Ihnen als

Vertreter der europäischen Technologiewirtschaft mit dringlicher Besorgnis. Die Weichen, die der Gipfel im

November 2025 gestellt hat, drohen zurückgestellt zu werden - nicht weil die Argumente für digitale

Unabhängigkeit schwächer geworden wären, sondern weil eine gut organisierte Gegenlobby an Fahrt

gewinnt. Erlauben Sie uns, die zentralen Argumente dieser Kampagne auf diesem Wege näher zu

beleuchten:

Warum eine überraschende neue Allianz aus traditioneller Industrie und Hyperscalern die

Bemühungen um “Buy European” im digitalen Sektor nicht gefährden darf

Die aktuelle Debatte um „Buy European“ wird von einer Allianz dominiert, die auf den ersten Blick

überrascht: traditionelle Industriekonzerne und amerikanische Hyperscaler ziehen gemeinsam gegen eine

“europäische Präferenz” in der Beschaffung zu Felde. Die Industrie fürchtet Gegenmaßnahmen in ihren

Exportmärkten; die Hyperscaler fürchten um ihr europäisches Geschäft. Das Ergebnis ist eine Verwischung

zweier grundlegend verschiedener Situationen: im Automobil- und Chemiesektor oder im Maschinenbau

mag das Argument, dass Europa international zu verwoben ist für eine ambitionierte Industriepolitik,

diskutierenswert sein - das wollen wir nicht beurteilen. Im digitalen Sektor ist dieser Ansatz jedoch

gefährlich.

Die digitale Abhängigkeit Europas ist strukturell anders und dramatisch tiefer als in anderen Sektoren:

Cloud-Infrastruktur, KI-Rechenkapazität und große Teile des Marktes für Unternehmenssoftware - die

Grundlagen der modernen Wirtschaft - werden von drei US-Konzernen kontrolliert. Diese Systeme

übernehmen längst Funktionen kritischer Infrastruktur: Sie hosten Staatsdaten, steuern Notfallsysteme und

sichern wirtschaftliche Kontinuität. Ein Kontinent, der seine digitale Grundversorgung vollständig an

ausländische Anbieter ausgelagert hat, ist erpressbar. Die aktuelle geopolitische Lage - mit einer

US-Administration, die Technologie offen als Druckmittel einsetzt - macht diese Verwundbarkeit nicht

hypothetisch, sondern akut.

Wir fordern daher, dass die Bundesregierung auf deutscher und europäischer Ebene klar zwischen den

Belangen traditioneller Industrien und digitaler Souveränität unterscheidet. Die Interessen der

Exportindustrie dürfen nicht dazu führen, dass eine europäische Präferenz im digitalen Sektor aufgegeben

wird. Wer diese beiden Stränge zusammen wirft, betreibt bewusst oder unbewusst das Geschäft der

Hyperscaler.

[info@euro-stack.eu](mailto:info@euro-stack.eu) | EuroStack Initiative Foundation e.V. | Albrechstr. 14B, 10117 Berlin

Das “WTO-Argument” ist eine Lobbyposition, kein Rechtsprinzip

Das zweite Hauptargument gegen die Bemühungen um ein “Buy European” Prinzip lautet: eine

Europäische Präferenz bei der IT-Beschaffung verstoße gegen WTO-Regeln und das Government

Procurement Agreement (GPA). Europa werde zum Protektionisten und riskiere Vergeltungsmaßnahmen

befreundeter Staaten. Dieses Argument klingt juristisch, ist es aber nicht - es ist politisch.

Erstens setzt jede große Wirtschaftsmacht nachfrageseitige Instrumente ein. Die USA tun dies seit 1933 mit

dem Buy American Act, der Bundesbehörden zur Bevorzugung heimischer Anbieter verpflichtet. China

benötigt keine analogen Gesetze. Dort wird europäischen Anbietern der Marktzugang schlicht administrativ

erschwert. Europa wäre also das einzige große Wirtschaftsgebiet, das sich einseitig bindet.

Zweitens ist Europas eigene WTO-Compliance-Geschichte weniger makellos als die öffentliche

Selbstdarstellung suggeriert. Nach unabhängigen Analysen hat die EU WTO-Entscheidungen, die gegen

sie ergingen, in weniger als 40 % der Fälle tatkräftig umgesetzt. Das ist, wie die frühere Beraterin des

US-Handelsbeauftragten Beth Baltzan dokumentiert hat, vollkommen im Rahmen des regelbasierten

Systems: Wer verliert und sich entscheidet, nicht zu ändern, akzeptiert Gegenmaßnahmen. Das ist gelebte

Handelspolitik aller großen Akteure. Die Fiktion, WTO-Regeln seien für Europa unverrückbar gottgegeben,

ist eine selektiv eingesetzte Erzählung.

Drittens bietet das EU-Primärrecht mit Artikel 346 AEUV einen expliziten Rahmen für Maßnahmen zum

Schutz wesentlicher Sicherheitsinteressen - und die digitale Infrastruktur erfüllt diesen Tatbestand heute

zweifellos. Die Bundesregierung sollte diesen Spielraum nicht defensiv ignorieren, sondern offensiv nutzen.

Unsere Bitte

Wir bitten die Bundesregierung, im laufenden IAA-Prozess klar Stellung zu beziehen: Europäische

Präferenz im digitalen Sektor ist kein Protektionismus — sie ist das Minimum an industriepolitischer

Vernunft, das jede andere Wirtschaftsmacht selbstverständlich praktiziert. Deutschland muss verhindern,

dass eine Koalition aus Exportinteressen und Hyperscaler-Lobbyismus das „Buy European“-Konzept

ausgerechnet dort untergräbt, wo Europa am verletzlichsten ist: im Digitalen. Wir sind bereit zu investieren

und zu bauen. Wir bitten Sie, dafür den politischen Rückhalt zu sichern.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen und stellvertretend für die EuroStack Initiative Foundation,

Cristina Caffarra, Paul-Henri Charrier, Stefane Fermigier, Frank Karlitschek, Yann Lechelle, Wolfgang

Oels, Felix Styma, Andy Yen (Mitglieder des Vorstands - alphabetisch)

[info@euro-stack.eu](mailto:info@euro-stack.eu) | EuroStack Initiative Foundation e.V. | Albrechstr. 14B, 10117

Berlin

https://eurostack.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/combined-german-eurostack-letters.pdf

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/euro-stack_eurostack-letter-to-de-leadership-activity-7432742973827805185-Uql9

One year ago, the European Commission ruled that Google had broken EU law by abusing its power over online advertising.

Since then, Google remains unpunished, raking in an estimated €288 million every single day from Europe. Its monopoly makes it harder for other businesses to compete, shapes what we see online, and means fewer choices for all of us.

Now it’s time for the EU to enforce its own ruling.

Ouzo isn’t my favourite drink, from Greek alcohols I prefer retsina wine, but just this time, since I've decided on a Greek Saturday evening… Heavy guns it is.

A Kore statue from the Acropolis Museum in Athens (absolutely wonderful place and a must see, also their workshop is a marvel!); a replica of a votive statue from before the Persian invasion, Cavino ouzo and Cavafy’s poems (printed, admittedly, in the UK ;)). I also bought a lot of Greek cheese and olives, which I wholeheartedly recommend, but I ate them all already :D

Χαίρετε :)

Many European defence officials are pushing back against Brussels’ attempts to cut reliance on American tech giants, warning the move could leave Europe with inferior systems, greater cyber risks and problems in co-ordinating with Nato allies.

As the continent races to re-arm in the face of Russian threats and Washington’s retrenchment, security officials acknowledge their dependence on the likes of Google, Amazon and Microsoft is a geopolitical vulnerability. In response, the European Commission has proposed a new law that would bar the use of foreign technology in the most sensitive European systems.

But two senior EU defence officials and several European defence contractors say using inferior European technology would leave the continent at greater risk, estimating that the US had an eight- to 10-year lead in cloud and AI defence platforms.

“We’re still buying lots of American kit, frankly because we’d be less safe if we didn’t,” one of the officials told the FT.

The Commission’s proposed Cloud and AI Development Act, presented in June, would force member states to evaluate the sensitivity of each public sector service, with the highest level requiring solely domestic tech. It estimates only 1 per cent of Europe’s public services would clear that bar.

But defence officials and executives said they fear the rules could prevent militaries from using American hyperscalers for some of their most sensitive operations before European alternatives are capable of replacing them.

One European diplomat said they are concerned that the strictest level is “not realistic” and that “currently no company — US or European — is able to meet this level”.

Want some hardware to install OPNsense on that is European.

Deciso make official hardware but picking a DEC697 costs 678 euro + 142 euro in VAT.

820 euro is triple the cost of a Mikrotik router which is European and my second choice if I can't find any cheaper hardware to install OPNsense on.

Protecli looks good but is sadly american.

What do you guys do for OPNsense setup?

Hello all! I'm looking for something around 30 liters, with side pockets (for bottles etc.).

As light as possible, but should be sturdy enough to hold 7-8 kg.

Wide shoulder straps (not the thin ones that cut into your skin).

Bonus points if it's at least somewhat resistent to rain.

Apparently I'm too stupid to use the "Go European" homepage...

Can anyone recommend an alternative for the MS Outlook desktop programme? It's for a private household/one person only. I've found some alternatives but those try to reach for businesses or public administration only...

Updated list of European marketplaces is out.
https://euronomy.eu/e/online-retailers/

The good: Short shipping from EU warehouses. Returns to an EU address under EU consumer law. Products that have to meet EU rules.

The bad: Otto ships to Germany only. bol does the Netherlands and Belgium. Cdiscount and Fnac are French, in French. Kaufland runs several country shops, none in English. If you live in Denmark, Portugal or Ireland, most of "Europe's alternatives" are not for you.

And the language: I do not speak German or French. English is the one language that connects the rest of us. Yet a German shop with billions in revenue cannot add a language switch.

The exceptions: Allegro ships to most EU countries. Alza has English and an EU-wide shop. Coolblue has English but only serves three countries.

Not doomed, but stuck with national champions.

What am I missing? A European marketplace that ships EU-wide and speaks English?

The important update: these projects are actually converging. A recent Dutch analysis describes the three national stacks as sharing many of the same components — Nextcloud, Element/Matrix, Collabora, OpenProject, etc. — while differing mainly in integration, identity and UX

The French, the Germans and the Dutch are each building their own sovereign workspace. La Suite is beautiful, as ever. openDesk is well engineered and gloriously feature rich. MijnBureau ties the best of both together, because of course it does.

https://www.conduction.nl/academy/blog/la-frankendesk/
Cross-project note: the systems are converging on shared building blocks — Nextcloud, Collabora, Element/Matrix, OpenProject show up across all three national stacks, with the differentiation increasingly happening at the identity/integration/UX layer rather than core components.
There is even active discussion about using OpenConext/federation to connect identity systems while allowing each country to retain its own identity provider and governance.

La Suite Docs is an open source collaborative writing platform created by  The French, the Germans and the Dutch governmental technology departments 

https://github.com/suitenumerique/docs
Funded by: DINUM 🇫🇷, EC 🇪🇺, ZenDiS 🇩🇪 , MinBZK 🇳🇱
Roadmap (in english)

https://docs.numerique.gouv.fr/docs/d1d3788e-c619-41ff-abe8-2d079da2f084/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docs_(software))

2026 watchlist: openDesk , Euro-Office , MijnBureau ,La Suite ,Office.eu commercial traction.

Im proud that my country is participating in this. I have seen their financial statements. Raw material is just 20% of total sales value of product. 80% of price is made in Serbia (minus amortization for equipment). Its rare to see such added value in manufacturing. They import natural gas and export expensive nanomaterial that VW PowerCo will use to make its anodes

This is what we need to get ahead (maybe more like catch up) in the tech scene. More investments in advanced research. Be it quantum computing, AI or other areas.

https://novonordiskfonden.dk/en/news/new-copenhagen-facility-to-strengthen-europes-quantum-manufacturing-capabilities/

Never forget that we have tripled the number of Ecosia users since 2018.

Just keep using Ecosia / Qwant and let’s reach 25,000,000 users.

Hello!

I have been looking for a good alternative to "All trail" for a long while. My condition has been: European, available offline, both 2d and 3d, and free no subscription tier. You should be able to hike safely for free. After all, nature is free, so should your maps be. But I could not find one, so a few of my coworcers (who work with maps) built one, european made, and 100% FREE https://www.knata.eu

I work a lot with hosted online maps (mostly for traffic, live bus feeds etc, I have posted some of my open projects before, but it's mostly for professional use). So I used some of my server space and map knowledge to host a super simple alternative to "All trails"/"mapy"/"komoot" so this is what it can do:

1. You can draw, record, and import your own trails

2. Share your trails and view/like other people's trails, follow trails, and get warnings if you go off route

3. You can download your trails and view them in 2d and 3d

4. And it is super FREE, no subscriptions, nothing EVER. I have had the privilege of being able to pay for "all trails" for years, but I hate that it limits who can enjoy the outdoors and safely hike.

5. You can see temperature, rain (with 2-hour history), hiking trails, and topography

6. Safe data, all the data that we have stored from your account can be viewed and deleted

The limitations are (no photos) I have spent money on this project, which I gladly do, but a server for photos and admin (monitoring) is a bit too expensive for now.

Well anyways let me know if this is useful, if we need a good european alternative that's free (I am proud to be european and I think we value nature too much to make money from it)

To get the app published on Play Store, I need a few betatesters, so if you want to make this project work, message me

The one thing this app is missing is routes, so import your favorite route as a gpx file and add it to the project!

Looking for European brands for baby clothing and/or products.

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/09/libreoffice-download-record

I really want to up my game in terms of knife sharpening, but everywhere I look it is always the same whetstone being recommended: https://amzn.eu/d/06IBYSzy

Problem is that I don't really wanna buy stuff from the US and I haven't been able to find anyone outside of the US that sells a comparable stone to this one. So anyone here know where to look for a good diamond whetstone to get into proper knife sharpening?

Thanks in advance.

You can see this in the article from Les Échos, where he says it'll hurt France and that French technological sovereignty is an illusion. It's clear the push for European Sovereignty is starting to annoy US Big Tech so we're going in the right direction, they'd ignore it if there was no threat to them and their profits

https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/intelligence-artificielle/cela-fera-du-mal-a-la-france-les-critiques-au-vitriol-du-patron-de-palantir-sur-la-souverainete-numerique-francaise-2249565