Europe Has ‘Lost the Internet’, Warns Cybersecurity Chief

Brussels: Europe risks surrendering control over the digital foundations of its economy and security, according to Miguel De Bruycker, head of the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium, who has warned that the continent has effectively “lost the internet” in strategic terms.

Speaking at a cybersecurity forum in Brussels, De Bruycker said Europe no longer fully governs or controls the digital systems it depends on, leaving critical services exposed to legal, geopolitical and security risks. His remarks reflect growing unease within European institutions over structural dependence on foreign technology platforms.

Reliance on US cloud platforms raises sovereignty concerns

At the heart of the issue, De Bruycker said, is Europe’s heavy reliance on cloud and digital infrastructure dominated by US technology companies such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. These firms collectively control a significant share of Europe’s cloud capacity, while home-grown alternatives remain limited in scale.

This dominance has legal implications as well. US laws can compel American firms to provide access to data stored anywhere in the world, meaning that information physically hosted in Europe may still fall under foreign jurisdiction. European policymakers have long flagged this as a strategic vulnerability, but progress toward reducing reliance has been incremental.

De Bruycker stressed that the dependence extends beyond data storage to analytics, artificial intelligence and communications platforms — technologies now deeply embedded in governance, policing and economic decision-making.

Cyber threats sharpen the urgency

Belgium’s position as host to the European Union and NATO headquarters has made it a frequent target of cyberattacks, according to De Bruycker. Many incidents, including denial-of-service attacks and probing operations, have been attributed by Western intelligence agencies to pro-Russian hacker groups responding to geopolitical developments.

While most attacks have been disruptive rather than destructive, officials say they underscore the risks of relying on infrastructure beyond Europe’s direct control. European law enforcement agencies, including Europol, have also raised concerns about limited access to digital evidence and encrypted communications hosted on foreign platforms.

Regulation alone may not be enough

De Bruycker criticised aspects of Europe’s regulatory approach, arguing that legislation such as the AI Act and other digital rules may constrain innovation without addressing deeper structural weaknesses. He said regulation must be paired with serious investment in European-owned cloud, AI, semiconductor and network infrastructure.

Initiatives aimed at reducing dependence on dominant platforms, including new competition rules under EU digital laws, are seen as steps forward. However, industry experts caution that compliance requirements alone will not produce viable alternatives unless backed by scale, capital and coordinated industrial policy.

Proposals like EuroStack - an initiative to build a European-controlled digital ecosystem - have gained attention among policymakers seeking to restore technological autonomy.

A strategic crossroads for Europe

De Bruycker stopped short of predicting an imminent crisis but warned that time is running out. He called for a large-scale, collaborative effort - likened to the Airbus model - to build resilient European digital infrastructure capable of competing globally.

As geopolitical rivalry intensifies and technology becomes inseparable from national security, the question of who controls digital architecture has moved to the centre of Europe’s strategic agenda. For governments, businesses and institutions alike, digital sovereignty is no longer abstract policy - it is a defining factor in economic and security resilience.

These concerns are increasingly shaping how globally mobile companies assess risk, compliance and long-term operations, alongside considerations such as business setup in dubai as organisations seek jurisdictions offering regulatory clarity and infrastructure stability in an uncertain digital landscape.