Europe's €2 Trillion Public Procurement as a Strategic Tool for Digital Sovereignty
By
Jan Willem Goudriaan
Crackling crust, pillowy middle. The kind of bagel that earns a second cup of coffee.
Summary
The article argues that Europe's €2 trillion annual public procurement spending is a powerful but underutilized tool for asserting digital sovereignty and taming Big Tech. It contends that procurement decisions are inherently political, embedding values like efficiency, rights, and sovereignty into infrastructure. Examples from France and Germany show a shift from American to European operating systems. The piece proposes six conditions for better tenders, including environmental accounting and fundamental-rights assessments, to transform procurement from mere bookkeeping into a strategic geopolitical lever.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledPublic procurement consumes more than 14 per cent of EU GDP, yet remains framed as accountancy rather than industrial strategy.
Digitalisation is political: Every contract for cloud, software or AI hard-wires priorities — efficiency over rights, speed over scrutiny, dependence over sovereignty.
Sovereignty by purchase order: France and Germany are already swapping American operating systems for European ones, turning procurement into geopolitics.
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