Europe’s place in the digital world, long viewed as a cornerstone of global connectivity, is being questioned at the highest levels of European cyber defence.

Miguel De Bruycker, director of the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB), told the Financial Times that Europe has effectively “lost the internet” because of its deep dependence on non-European digital infrastructure, particularly that controlled by United States companies.

He said it is currently unrealistic for organisations to ensure that their data is stored entirely within the European Union, as U.S. cloud providers and digital platforms dominate the critical technology layers of the modern internet.

De Bruycker’s warning was grounded in two interlinked concerns: Europe’s limited share of global cloud computing and artificial intelligence development, and the consequences this has for the continent’s capability to defend against next-generation cyber threats.

He emphasised that most underlying digital infrastructure is privately owned, predominantly by U.S. firms, and that European legislation such as the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act — designed to regulate emerging technologies — can inadvertently slow innovation rather than foster competitive alternatives.

The CCB head called for a concerted European effort — akin to the joint creation of Airbus decades ago — to build large-scale digital capacity within Europe that could reduce dependency on foreign “hyperscalers” and strengthen technological sovereignty.

He pointed to regional firms such as France’s OVHcloud and Germany’s Schwarz Digital as important components of a broader European infrastructure, but said these efforts remain fragmented and too small to rival global competitors.

Belgium itself is a frequent target of cyberattacks due to its hosting of European Union and NATO institutions, with waves of distributed denial-of-service attacks and other disruptive campaigns attributed to pro-Russian actors following critical political statements.

While De Bruycker said most of these attacks do not result in data theft, they underline the high stakes of digital resilience for European governments and societies.

European policymakers have debated technological sovereignty for years, and efforts such as the EU’s cybersecurity strategy and the Network and Information Systems Directive aim to bolster collective response and preparedness.

Yet De Bruycker’s remarks underscore a persistent gap between Europe’s regulatory ambitions and its ability to deliver home-grown infrastructure at the scale necessary for global leadership.

His comments reflect a broader recognition across Europe that digital transformation — from cloud and AI to critical infrastructure protection — requires not only regulation but significant investment and industrial strategy to ensure resilience, autonomy, and security in a world of intensifying geopolitical competition and hybrid threats.

The challenge ahead will not be measured solely in lines of code, but in shared political will to build the foundations of a sovereign European digital future.