German BND to pay Google €500M for cloud despite sovereignty concerns
Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND) plans to spend €500 million on Google Cloud services for a joint cloud system with US tech giant Google. The ND-Cloud will handle classified information up to 'Secret' level, despite digital sovereignty concerns. NDR and WDR report the system will use Google Distributed Cloud's air-gapped version, storing data in Germany. (TUTA.COM)
CCIA-funded study estimates €115 billion cost for EU’s CADA
News
A CCIA-funded study estimates the EU’s Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA) could cost €115 billion over ten years, primarily impacting private firms through migration and code rewriting. Costs would vary widely, with smaller economies like Luxembourg, Ireland and Malta hit hardest. The study excludes security benefits and
Estonia approves smartphone voting for 2027 elections
EstoniaNews
Estonia’s National Electoral Committee approved smartphone-based voting for the 2027 parliamentary elections, extending its internet voting system to iOS and Android devices. The decision follows a 2025 public test and KPMG audit confirming app-store authenticity verification. In 2023, 51.2% of online voters used the existing system.
We are missing a messenger
Deep DivesTools and techTelecomEUDeep Dives
Europeans run their families, their jobs, and their politics through chat apps, and almost none of those are built or owned in Europe. Why nobody leaves, why the EU’s law forcing WhatsApp open has barely been used, and how Europe could connect its islands of chat.
Protecting children without checking everyone
OpinionEntertainmentOpinion
The EU Kids Act goes after real harm to our children. But to get there, it would require proof of age before anyone opens an account on the largest platforms. But can't we protect children by changing the services instead?
Europe's place in the tech blocs: seven maps, the same territory
Deep DivesDeep Dives
In a volatile world, Europe's alliances form one technology at a time.
Part one of three.
Christian Triantafillou Schade— Digital pioneer, tech reporter, corporate revolutionary. Christian Triantafillou Schade covers Europe's push for digital sovereignty from the public record. He consults on process improvement and tooling.
