Opinion on BeLibre - Belgian Think Tank on Digital Autonomy

Europe Measures Digital Sovereignty. Why Doesn’t It Publish the Results?

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:20:00 +0100

On April 17, 2026, the European Commission awarded a €180 million tender to four European cloud providers: Post Telecom (Luxembourg), StackIT (Germany), Scaleway (France), and a consortium led by Proximus (Belgium). This was the first procurement process where digital sovereignty was explicitly measured and used as an award criterion. To do this, the Commission developed and published its Cloud Sovereignty Framework in October 2025, which divides sovereignty into eight domains and five assurance levels.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? When Geopolitics Hits Your Cloud, HR and Bank Account

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 21:00:00 +0100

The Reality of Digital Dependency

DNS records from the previous article paint a clear picture: over 70% of Belgian public institutions (e.g. hospitals, police, schools, defence, municipalities) rely on Microsoft’s cloud for daily operations. Systems run smoothly. Salaries arrive, patients receive care, lessons continue. The instinct to maintain what works makes sense.

The challenge comes from concentration: a single foreign platform supporting critical workflows, subject to distant laws and remote management. By late 2025, US providers held over 70% of Europe’s cloud market, local alternatives below 15%. Belgium’s situation highlights what happens when public services align on one stack. Recent events show these dependencies carry real consequences, but they also illuminate substantial opportunities ahead.

If FIFA can do it, so can we

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 21:00:00 +0100

We’re here live from the cafeteria, for the announcement of the BeLibre world soccer champion!

Last week, the international soccer federation showed us once again how awards work these days. After the big boss felt slighted, FIFA pulled a few feathers out of its ass and delivered them with a deep bow. They created the brand new “FIFA Peace Prize,” specially awarded during the 2026 World Cup draw.

Belgium Can’t Afford Microsoft to Go Down: A Wake-Up Call on Digital Sovereignty

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 17:20:14 +0100

So we’re using Microsoft at the Belgian government? So what, that’s not a bad thing, is it? I mean, it does a great job and everybody uses it. Right? After all, it’s the safe option. “Nobody ever got fired for choosing ~~IBM~~ Microsoft.

“Hey US, I thought we were friends?” This question isn’t rhetorical anymore. As tariff threats escalate, wars redraw geopolitical alliances, and digital infrastructure becomes the backbone of every critical service, Europe faces an uncomfortable truth: we’ve outsourced control of our digital future to a handful of American corporations.

BeLibre Sovereignty Map

Mon, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Interactive map where you can discover digital sovereignty in municipalities, schools, emergency services or other critical infrastructure in our country and beyond.