EU efforts to reduce reliance on US hyperscalers under fire from those it wants to help

• CISPE hits back at EU efforts on cloud sovereignty
• Claims new "score" system may unbalance market even more in favor of US hyperscalers
• American firms thought to hold around 70% of EU cloud market

Attempts by the European Union (EU) to lessen reliance on American cloud providers and hyperscalers may actually be having the opposite effect, opponents to the plans have claimed.

CISPE (Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe), a collective 38 of the continent's key cloud players, has hit out at the EU Cloud Sovereignty Framework, which it says will likely lead to no changes in the market.

Coming in for particular scorn is the new "sovereignty score", which ranks providers on their strengths, but which CISPE says is weighted towards existing (and often American) providers such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.

"Clear indicator" needed

"CISPE's concern is that the Framework's criteria are so broad and weighted that they could allow a provider to tick enough boxes to get a high score without really delivering on the spirit of European sovereignty," a CISPE spokesperson told The Register.

"More fundamentally, we believe that you are either sovereign or you are not. Customers need a clear indicator. That's not to say that additional technological, legal or other safeguards can't deliver levels of control that are suitable for the cloud use cases customers need, especially those who participate in global supply chains."

Cloud and data sovereignty across Europe has become a hot-button issue in recent months, as customers seek alternatives to US hyperscalers.

Recent findings from Synergy Research claim AWS, Microsoft, and Google Cloud hold a combined 70% of the European cloud market, with European companies holding just 15% - down from 29% in 2017.

Many British businesses confess they still aren’t certain where exactly their data is stored, even though sovereignty concerns and evolving regulations see them demanding more local options.

"The new Sovereign Cloud tender provides clarity and transparency on what sovereignty means and how it will be measured in public procurement, an EU spokesperson told The Register.

"It creates a level playing field where cloud providers on the EU market can demonstrate their sovereignty strengths. It pushes the entire market towards a higher standard and compliance with European values."

CISPE has had a busy couple of months fighting legal battles across Europe - back in July 2025, it announced members could now offer Microsoft software under a pay-as-you-go model, without sharing customer data with the company.

The group also a formal appeal to challenge the European Commission's decision to approve Broadcom's 2023 acquisition of VMware, arguing the former had imposed "unfair contract terms for cloud infrastructure service".

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