Belgium’s top Cyber Chief just dropped a bombshell: Europe has “lost the internet” to US tech titans, ceding control of clouds, AI, and cyber defenses to American hyperscalers. While the continent dreams of data sovereignty, reality bites – keeping info 100% in the EU is “keep on dreaming,” says Miguel De Bruycker of the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium.
Digital Domain Disaster
US giants dominate Europe’s digital pipes, from AWS to AI tools vital for fending off Russian DDoS waves hammering EU.
De Bruycker slams EU regulations like the AI Act for “blocking” homegrown innovation, urging an Airbus-style cyber push instead of futile US-bashing. Geopolitically, this leaves Europe hooked on Yankee clouds amid Trump-era tensions, where even cyber rescue ops lean on Silicon Valley saviors.
Italy’s Pasta Power Play – Enter Italy, Europe’s carb conqueror!
While digital sovereignty crumbles, Rome scores a geopolitical win: Trump slashes proposed 92% tariffs on Italian pasta to as low as 2.3% (for Molisana) after Meloni’s lobbying blitz. Facing a $770M US export hit, Italy flipped the script – Garofalo duties drop to 13.98%, others to 9.09%, dodging a spaghetti apocalypse.
Carbs vs. Clouds Showdown
In a nutshell: EU lost cloud/internet to US hyperscalers, cyber defenses rely on US amid Russian attacks – but carb sovereignty is achieved, our delicious pasta can now flood US shelves unscathed. With our priorities now intact, our politicians should pivot to rebuilding cyber forts, and we responsible Europeans should demand it: fund startups, ditch overregulation, reclaim the cloud. Sovereignty starts at home, one bite… sorry one byte (sorry for the lapsus) at a time.
Europe’s Innovation Trap
Europe lacks the muscle to innovate at scale, trapped in regulatory quicksand while China engineers export empires despite its property woes.
EU trails US and China in AI, semis, quantum patents – replicating breakthroughs takes twice as long. Digital sovereignty dreams demand €500B+ for cloud/AI parity, but fragmentation kills density. Even Mercosur deal stalls amid farm lobbies, leaving export niches like pasta as lifelines – not tech.
Without US market lobbying wins, “cavoli amari” indeed (cavoli amari – sorry for the Italian here – is traslated to “bitter cabbages,” and I cannot find a more appropriate way to put it: it’s our idiomatic “sour grapes” or “what a pickle”, evoking the sour regret of missed opportunities or tough breaks).
China’s Export Juggernaut
China masks 5-year property crash by prioritizing tech: high-tech output, trade surplus via solar, EVs, batteries.
Builds “Chinese alternatives” ecosystem – state-scale fabs, AI niches like surveillance – exporting self-sufficiency at low prices, leapfrogging petrodollar traps in Africa/LatAm.
Deeper Geopolitical (sour) Bite
Pasta tariffs slashed? Cute win, but superficial – EU’s real frailty is innovation drought, forcing US dependency and failed diversification (no Mercosur yet). China, crisis-hit yet resilient, exports not just goods but autonomy blueprints. Politicians: Scale like Airbus for cyber/cloud.
Us Europeans: Demand VC floods, reg cuts. Reclaim bytes before carbs are all we export.
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