US strikes Iran for tenth straight night as Tehran hits Kuwait base; American death toll reaches 17Iranian missile hit US troop housing at Jordan base; Aqaba airport and port evacuatedHouthis declare Saudi naval blockade as fresh tanker attacks hit the Strait of HormuzBrent crude back above $90 as Gulf war rattles stocks, currencies and rate-settersTrump imposes 50% tariffs on Canadian goods under untested 1930 trade lawMerz signals cabinet reshuffle after Spahn quits as parliamentary leader over surrogacy rowBurnham takes office as UK prime minister, names Healey chancellor and calls TrumpRussia hits Kyiv with one of the war's largest ballistic barragesUkrainian drones and sea drones strike Russian oil terminals, power grid and Black Sea shipsFerry with about 133 aboard capsizes off Guyana; dozens missingAt least 50 Malian soldiers killed in jihadist–separatist ambush near AnefisChina uses WAIC to press its claim to lead 'global AI governance'Heatwave fuels major wildfires in Spain and Greece; nearly 50,000 hectares burnedUS strikes Iran for tenth straight night as Tehran hits Kuwait base; American death toll reaches 17Iranian missile hit US troop housing at Jordan base; Aqaba airport and port evacuatedHouthis declare Saudi naval blockade as fresh tanker attacks hit the Strait of HormuzBrent crude back above $90 as Gulf war rattles stocks, currencies and rate-settersTrump imposes 50% tariffs on Canadian goods under untested 1930 trade lawMerz signals cabinet reshuffle after Spahn quits as parliamentary leader over surrogacy rowBurnham takes office as UK prime minister, names Healey chancellor and calls TrumpRussia hits Kyiv with one of the war's largest ballistic barragesUkrainian drones and sea drones strike Russian oil terminals, power grid and Black Sea shipsFerry with about 133 aboard capsizes off Guyana; dozens missingAt least 50 Malian soldiers killed in jihadist–separatist ambush near AnefisChina uses WAIC to press its claim to lead 'global AI governance'Heatwave fuels major wildfires in Spain and Greece; nearly 50,000 hectares burned
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Europe's tech sovereignty

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European security agencies, intelligence services and parts of the military have for years relied on software from US providers to analyze large volumes of data, above all the analytics platform of the company Palantir, which is used in several German federal states. This dependence is considered sensitive because US laws such as the CLOUD Act may under certain circumstances give American authorities access to data, and Palantir's founder is criticized for his closeness to the Trump administration. A European competitor has therefore long been under discussion; earlier initiatives for digital and technological sovereignty, such as the Gaia-X project launched in 2020 or offerings like the Open Telekom Cloud, were meant to reduce dependence but fell short of expectations. A genuine, equivalent European alternative was long lacking because of shortcomings in scale, market penetration and political support. This context of dependence and the sovereignty debate shapes the current efforts by countries such as France and Germany to break away from US software.

heise online: Digital Sovereignty, BfV Buys European Palantir AlternativeWirtschaftsWoche: Europas Flucht vor Palantir

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Saturday, 18 July 2026Technology

France and Germany want to build a European Palantir rival

France and Germany want to jointly develop a European alternative to the US analytics software Palantir. In doing so, they are responding to a dependence on American software used by police, intelligence services and the military. A senior NATO commander recently complained that there was as yet no genuine European alternative.

According to a report by Politico Europe, Paris and Berlin want to build a European competitor to Palantir, whose analytics platform is used by several European security agencies. The backdrop is growing concern about dependence on US software in security-relevant areas, aggravated by possible access by American authorities and the political closeness of Palantir's founder to the Trump administration. A senior NATO commander stressed that there was as yet no equivalent European solution. Trade outlets such as WirtschaftsWoche point out that earlier sovereignty initiatives failed on scale and market penetration. Sourcing on the specific plan is still thin and rests mainly on the Politico report. Whether the announcement turns into a viable project remains to be seen.

Politico EuropeWirtschaftsWoche