The European Union is pushing to introduce strict cloud service standards that could exclude Amazon, Microsoft and Google from key public tenders, Reuters reported on Sunday.
The measures are included in a "Cloud and AI Development Act" package that EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen is set to unveil on Tuesday, the report said. The European Commission plans to make digital sovereignty requirements mandatory for procurement in sensitive sectors such as banking, energy and healthcare. It also plans to add whether EU-made software and hardware are used as a mandatory item in public tender evaluation criteria alongside price. U.S. cloud services would struggle to meet the standards and would in effect be disadvantaged, Reuters reported.
The EU is pursuing the policy amid concerns the U.S. government could access European data. The U.S. Cloud Act compels U.S.-based businesses to provide authorities with data stored overseas. The EU views this as an element that infringes on data sovereignty for European citizens.
The bill must be approved by EU member states and the European Parliament.
Chi-gyu Hwang
delight@d-today.co.kr