In a Nutshell

French and German security officials are calling for Europe to have sovereign digital infrastructure. This reportedly involves reducing its reliance on Palantir. Politico Europe reports that governments across Europe are seeking alternatives in areas including police work, intelligence, defence and health systems.

Spain has told public companies to exclude Palantir from future tenders, French domestic intelligence has chosen ChapsVision, and the United Kingdom may revisit a major NHS data contract in 2027. But officials and industry figures quoted by Politico also acknowledge that Palantir’s products remain powerful, widely embedded and hard to replace at scale.

Our Take

There is a fundamental misunderstanding here: sovereignty is not a necessary byproduct of protectionism, and cannot justify suboptimal performance. 

Europe may well be locked-in and is rightly concerned about ideological or strategic disruptions. But a resilient system is not guaranteed by the nationality of the service provider. A resilient system requires (i) data sovereignty, (ii) redundancy plans, realistic alternatives or exit strategies (at least for the most critical functions), and (iii) strict procurement policies. 

The 451 Institute can help institutions define their core functions and how to protect them from disruptions. This service is free.

Read the full story at Politico Europe.