Miguel De Bruycker has cautioned about American dominance in tech in the region
Miguel De Bruycker, the director of the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB), has informed the Financial Times that it is impossible to fully store data within the EU as American technology companies control the sector. The official also pointed out that EU regulation on artificial intelligence (AI) is hindering innovation within the bloc.
After the implementation of mandatory rules for general-purpose AI last year, the EU faced a rapid domestic backlash due to concerns that high compliance costs were weakening innovation and investment. The internal pressure was exacerbated by sharp criticism from the US government and major technology companies, which branded the regulations as protectionist measures aimed at unfairly targeting American firms.
“We’ve lost the entire cloud. We have lost the internet, let’s be honest,” De Bruycker said earlier this week in an interview with the newspaper. “If I want my information 100% in the EU, keep dreaming,” he added. “You’re setting an unrealistic objective.”
He further stated that it is currently not possible to store data completely in Europe because US companies dominate digital infrastructure and essential online services.
“In cyberspace, everything is commercial. Everything is privately owned,” De Bruycker said, emphasizing that the EU’s cyber defenses rely on cooperation from private companies, most of which are American.
Under the EU’s AI Act, binding rules for general-purpose AI models came into effect on August 2, 2025. The rules demand that developers putting such models on the EU market fulfill transparency and documentation obligations and comply with copyright requirements, with stricter duties applicable to the most powerful systems classified as presenting systemic risks. Oversight of the rules is carried out by the EU AI Office.
However, Brussels was compelled to reverse course in late 2025 by introducing a Digital Simplification Package. The initiative, introduced in response to intense domestic criticism led by national champions such as France’s Mistral AI and Germany’s Aleph Alpha, aims to ease the regulatory burden on European startups. Regulators provided extended grace periods for compliance and launched the Apply AI Alliance to offer technical support.
De Bruycker, nonetheless, suggested that Brussels should support private initiatives to enhance cloud computing and digital identification. He called for an approach similar to the creation of Airbus, which was jointly backed by member states, urging a comparable effort at the EU level in the cyber domain.
“Rather than focusing on how to stop the US ‘hyperscalers’, perhaps we should direct our energy towards… building something on our own,” the CCB chief said.