The Danish Minister of Digitalization would prefer not to see Microsoft software on cabinet staff laptops anymore. An example for other EU countries?
Caroline Stage, Danish Minister for Digitalization, is taking a remarkable measure: Microsoft is no longer welcome on government employees’ laptops. The Danish news outlet Politiken writes that a plan has been developed to phase out Microsoft completely within their own cabinet by autumn. Windows will be replaced by Linux and Office by LibreOffice.
It’s not yet clear whether the measure will be more broadly supported within the Danish government. The minister first wants to test within her own cabinet whether staff can work without Microsoft software. The transition from Windows to Linux does require some adjustment. If the switch proves to be too complex, the minister does not rule out a return to Microsoft.
Digital sovereignty
According to Stage, the ban on Microsoft is necessary to guarantee Denmark’s digital sovereignty. The minister has previously been a vocal opponent of using American technology in a government context. The reasoning is that dependence on non-European technology poses a strategic risk if technology is used as a weapon in political conflicts.
If the Danish experiment succeeds, it could trigger a domino effect in other EU countries. Digital sovereignty is more than ever a current theme in the European Union. Donald Trump’s whims are making governments and companies think twice about using American technology. But because American cloud giants have a solid share in the European IT ecosystem, this currently remains mostly words rather than actions.
read also
EU Sells Hot Air with Digital Sovereignty Strategy
The Flemish government recently signed a large Copilot contract with Microsoft. It seems unlikely that a decision will be made overnight to stop working with Microsoft. The Amsterdam city council recently did venture into this step by banning Copilot for civil servants. Microsoft and other cloud giants are trying to assuage this growing sentiment with sovereign cloud services that promise data protection according to European rules.