European and Polish tech sectors face sovereignty challenges

The European Union and Poland are facing challenges regarding technological sovereignty as they remain heavily dependent on American Big Tech for essential services, including cloud computing, software, and artificial intelligence. While the European Commission discusses digital autonomy, many institutions continue to rely on foreign tools for daily operations.

A report titled ‘Polish technologies in the shadow of global players’ by Xopero Software and CyberMadeinPoland suggests that the Polish ICT market is caught in a ‘trap’ of dependency. The report highlights a ‘national reseller syndrome,’ where domestic companies build positions based on foreign technologies rather than creating their own intellectual property.

To address this, experts suggest that sovereignty should not mean isolation, but rather building technical competencies and reducing reliance on foreign providers in strategic areas. In Poland, the IT market is projected to grow from 74 billion PLN in 2025 to 85 billion PLN by 2029, yet the report argues that state procurement procedures may be deforming the market instead of fostering domestic innovation.