Europe – a digital colony of the USA? Expert: We have lost the cloud. We lost the internet

In terms of digital infrastructure, Europe is far behind the United States, said Miguel De Bruycker, director of the Belgian Cybersecurity Center (CCB), in an interview with the Financial Times on Friday. Europe “lost the Internet” to US companies, he added.

In De Bruycker's opinion, full data storage in Europe is “currently impossible” because American companies dominate digital infrastructure.

We lost all the cloud. We've lost the internet, let's be honest. (…) If I want my information to be 100 percent available in the EU, this is an unrealistic dream – said De Bruycker.

The head of the CCB warned that European cyber defense is based on the cooperation of private companies, most of which are American companies.

He added that EEurope has lost access to key new technologies developed in the US and other countriesincluding cloud data processing and artificial intelligence. As he emphasized, these technologies are necessary to defend against cyberattacks and in these areas, EU governments should support private initiatives.

De Bruycker criticized EU regulations, including: on artificial intelligence, which by regulating the development of rapidly developing technology blocks – in his opinion – innovation.

The FT's interlocutor reported that Every day there are cyberattacks targeting approximately 20 different organizations based in Belgium. In his opinion, Russian hackers are most often behind them. He noted that although it was unclear whether the Kremlin directly sponsored these actions, the attacks were usually a reaction to anti-Russian statements by politicians.

The British daily recalled that Belgium, where the EU and NATO headquarters are located, has become the target of increased hybrid attacks, probably carried out by Russia. In 2025, Belgium experienced five waves of cyberattacks lasting several days, and drone incursions into Belgian airspace also increased.

From London Marta Zabłocka (PAP)

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