Europe Has ‘Lost the Internet,’ Warns Belgium’s Cybersecurity Chief: A Wake-Up Call for the Digital Age

Europe’s digital backbone is under strain, and the warning could not be starker. Belgium’s cybersecurity chief has cautioned that Europe has, in effect, “lost the internet”—a provocative phrase that captures a deeper reality: the continent no longer controls critical parts of the digital infrastructure it relies on daily. From cloud services and social platforms to undersea cables and data centers, Europe’s dependence on foreign technology has grown so pervasive that its digital sovereignty is increasingly fragile.

This warning is not about a sudden blackout or a single cyberattack. It is about slow erosion—years of outsourcing, fragmented regulation, and underinvestment that have left Europe exposed to economic coercion, surveillance risks, and cascading failures during crises. In a world where the internet underpins everything from hospitals and energy grids to elections and national defense, losing control of it is not merely a technical problem; it is a strategic one.

What Does It Mean to “Lose the Internet”?

At its core, the statement reflects Europe’s reliance on non-European companies and jurisdictions for essential internet services. Most major cloud platforms, social networks, search engines, and operating systems used across Europe are owned and operated by firms based outside the EU. Even critical infrastructure—such as content delivery networks, domain name services, and parts of undersea cable systems—are often controlled by global tech giants with priorities shaped elsewhere.

This dependency creates vulnerabilities. Policy decisions, commercial disputes, sanctions, or geopolitical tensions can quickly ripple through Europe’s digital ecosystem. If a service provider changes terms, restricts access, or becomes the target of a cyber conflict, European users and institutions may have little recourse.

The Security Risks Are Real

Cybersecurity professionals warn that dependence equals exposure. When data is stored, processed, or routed through systems outside Europe’s direct oversight, it becomes harder to enforce privacy laws, audit security standards, or respond rapidly to incidents. Recent years have seen a rise in ransomware attacks on hospitals, municipalities, and transport systems—many of which rely on third-party platforms.

There is also the risk of “digital choke points.” Concentration among a few providers means that a single failure—technical or political—can have outsized effects. Outages at major cloud or DNS providers have already demonstrated how quickly services across countries can grind to a halt.

Economic and Democratic Implications

The internet is not just infrastructure; it is the marketplace and the public square. When advertising, commerce, and information flows are dominated by external platforms, European businesses face unequal competition, and public discourse can be shaped by algorithms designed beyond European democratic accountability.

Moreover, data is the fuel of modern economies. Losing control over data means losing leverage over innovation in artificial intelligence, healthcare research, smart manufacturing, and climate technologies. Europe risks becoming a consumer of digital products rather than a creator—dependent on others for the tools that define future growth.

Why Europe Fell Behind

Europe’s predicament did not happen overnight. The EU has been a global leader in digital regulation—most notably with GDPR—but regulation alone does not build infrastructure. Fragmented markets, cautious investment cultures, and the absence of tech giants willing to scale at speed have hindered the emergence of European alternatives.

Public procurement often favored established global vendors, reinforcing dependency. Meanwhile, investment in homegrown cloud services, semiconductors, and cybersecurity tools lagged behind the scale seen in the United States and parts of Asia.

A Path Back to Digital Sovereignty

The warning from Belgium’s cybersecurity chief is also a call to action. Europe still has options—if it moves decisively.

First, investment must match ambition. Initiatives to build European cloud services, strengthen semiconductor manufacturing, and secure undersea cables need sustained funding and political backing. Second, interoperability and open standards can reduce lock-in and give users real choice. Third, public institutions should lead by example, prioritizing secure, European-based solutions where feasible.

Talent is another pillar. Europe produces world-class engineers and researchers, but retaining them requires competitive ecosystems—startups that can scale, access to capital, and regulatory clarity that encourages innovation without sacrificing rights.

Cooperation Without Isolation

Reclaiming digital control does not mean cutting ties or building walls around the internet. Global cooperation remains essential for cybersecurity, trade, and innovation. The goal is resilience: ensuring that Europe can function, defend itself, and uphold its values even when global systems are stressed.

That means diversifying suppliers, strengthening cross-border incident response within the EU, and aligning security requirements across member states. A resilient internet is one where no single actor—or foreign dependency—can bring societies to a standstill.

The Moment of Choice

The phrase “lost the internet” is intentionally jarring. It is meant to shake policymakers and the public out of complacency. Europe stands at a crossroads: continue with comfortable dependence, or invest in the hard work of rebuilding digital sovereignty.

In an era of cyber conflict, economic rivalry, and rapid technological change, control over the internet is control over the future. Europe still has the capacity to reclaim it—but the window is narrowing.