EU lawmakers seek cloud rules over 70% non-European share

EU lawmakers presented a joint draft report on Nov. 11 seeking common cloud and AI infrastructure rules, Euronews reported, as Commission data put non-European providers above 70% of Europe’s cloud market.

The push would test how far the bloc will use regulation and public procurement to build domestic capacity, while the Commission’s proposal aims to triple EU data-centre capacity over five to seven years.

The 70% share held by three non-European hyperscale cloud providers is more than twice the portion left for all other suppliers, according to Atlas360 calculations. Hyperscale providers operate very large cloud-computing networks used by companies and public bodies to store data and run digital services.

The draft report covers the European Commission’s proposed Cloud and AI Development Act, or CADA. It calls for European standards for cloud services, more support for European technology companies and lower dependence on non-EU suppliers.

Spanish conservative MEP Diego Solier framed the file as more than industrial policy. “This is not only a matter of economic competitiveness, it is also a matter of our capacity to make our own decisions,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday.

“Technological sovereignty does not consist in closing Europe to the rest of the world, it consists of ensuring that Europe has the capacity to act, compete and choose,” Solier said.

The concern for EU policymakers is that dependence on external providers could limit control over data, security and the operation of essential services. The report also seeks stronger protections for critical sectors including healthcare, energy and transport.

The debate intensified after Donald Trump ordered Anthropic in June to block access outside the US to its Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 AI models, citing security concerns, Euronews reported. Access was restored later that month, but the episode fed discussion in Europe about potential “kill switches” over civilian and military infrastructure.

Dutch green MEP Reinier Van Lanschot said public authorities should buy more cloud services from European providers. “Europe has brilliant businesses and they are not asking for subsidies, they are asking for customers. That's at the heart of our proposal,” he said.

The file fits a wider EU effort to reduce reliance on other countries for critical services, infrastructure, materials and security. For cloud and AI, the industrial-policy question is whether common rules and public procurement can help European companies scale against larger foreign competitors.

The data-centre element adds a planning and environmental test. The draft calls for faster approval procedures for new data centres, while saying projects should respect environmental requirements and benefit local communities.

The draft report is expected to be published on Thursday, Nov. 12, giving lawmakers and industry groups the first full text of the Parliament’s proposed changes.

European parliamentary committees are due to discuss the draft on Dec. 1. A committee vote is provisionally scheduled for mid-March 2027, followed by a plenary vote in April 2027.

Source: news report, Euronews, Nov. 11, 2026