As a result, the development of cloud services in the EU is taking place in parallel with the debate about data sovereignty, ethical computing and the need to build solutions in line with European values. According to the European Commission, investment in computing infrastructure and AI will be one of the most important drivers of growth, but only if businesses and institutions trust that the cloud is a secure, predictable and compliant environment.
European cloud in practice: from scalability to strategic independence
The increasing load on systems, the digitalisation of public services and the development of AI models are making the public cloud not just a convenient tool for European organisations, but a key component of business infrastructure. It allows them to rapidly increase computing power, implement new functions and move processes that previously required their own data centres. At the same time, the EU is increasingly emphasising the need to build solutions that provide control over data flows and reduce reliance on non-European jurisdictions.
– The European model assumes that IT architecture must support auditability, data control and interoperability. This is not a regulatory cost, but an investment in the European economy, which does not limit its development in the long term, but ensures that we maintain our identity as a European economy, comments Artur Kmiecik, Head of Cloud and Infrastructure at Capgemini Poland.
Standards and certification: EUCS as the new security map for cloud computing
In order to structure the requirements for cloud providers, ENISA is preparing the EUCS, a European certification scheme to unify the rules for assessing the security and compliance of services. For organisations, this means clearer criteria for selecting a provider, and for public administrations, the ability to use services with a predictable level of protection. The EUCS also simplifies the documentation and integration of systems that have to meet stringent industry standards. In practice, this is a strategic step towards a more transparent and standardised cloud market across the Union.
Data under protection: how GDPR and EDPB set the framework for responsible processing
Data protection regulation remains one of the strongest pillars of the European cloud approach. The GDPR and European Data Protection Board guidelines specify how to design processing and how to ensure compliance in an environment that is dynamically changing. This enforces practices based on privacy-by-design, regular risk assessment, access control and documentation of activities. At the same time, organisations need to be fully aware of where their data is and who can process it. The result is a model that reinforces transparency and predictability – including for services operating across national borders.
AI in the cloud – innovation under regulatory scrutiny
AI naturally thrives in cloud environments, which provide scale, computing power and the ability to update quickly. At the same time, the AI Act creates a legal framework to guarantee user security and transparency of models. Organisations that want to use more advanced systems need to prepare for documentation obligations, compliance testing and risk assessments, especially in high-responsibility sectors. This ensures that the development of AI does not come at the expense of data quality or user rights. Regulation does not slow down innovation – it puts it in order and gives it clear rules to work by.
Trust as the currency of the digital economy: transparency and control over data
The complexity of cloud environments means that organisations increasingly expect not only security, but also full auditability of operations. The ability to track activity, view logs, analyse permissions and verify processes is becoming one of the key criteria for vendor selection. Companies and institutions want to make sure they know who is processing their data and how – and transparency is becoming just as important as technical safeguards.
– The IT architecture in our region must take into account not only scale and computing power, but also the requirements of the European Union. In practice, trust in the cloud is becoming the currency of the digital economy – organisations that can gain it through control of data flows and responsible use of AI will gain a real competitive advantage. The future of the European cloud is not only interoperability, but also ethical innovation that protects users and strengthens the data economy, adds Artur Kmiecik, Head of Cloud and Infrastructure at Capgemini Poland.
The future of the European cloud: interoperability, ethics and responsible innovation
Initiatives such as GAIA-X or European data spaces show that the future of the cloud in the EU is the development of systems that can work together independently of the provider. Interoperability is expected to facilitate cross-sector projects, process automation and data exchange in a way that complies with the highest ethical standards. At the same time, responsible innovation principles are growing in importance to protect users and strengthen the data economy. It is a direction that will allow Europe to develop modern technologies without abandoning the values that define its approach to digitalisation
Source: Capgemini
