European cloud computing policy: failing in Europe to succeed nationally?

Abstract

Why does Europe continue to take initiatives in the cloud computing sector that do not produce the desired results and instead seem to strengthen the position of non-European cloud providers? The existing literature suggests that functional and political obstacles prevent these initiatives from succeeding, but that European institutions and member states are constantly launching new initiatives to gradually succeed in their intention to move towards greater European integration and digital sovereignty. This article offers a different explanation: European member states are strategically using the progress made (albeit incomplete and unresolved) in the European context to protect and promote their own national cloud computing ecosystems. Instead of leading to integration, failure at the EU level is designed to lead to national success. The empirical analysis shows that EU certifications, as well as European industrial policy, are in fact primarily aimed at strengthening the bargaining position of European states and companies vis-à-vis the non-European cloud providers. Rather than excluding them from the European market, the new cloud initiatives enable individual states to negotiate better bilateral deals with the incumbents.