France unplugs from US software

France is preparing to remove American platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom from its government departments by 2027. In their place, civil servants will use a French‑developed video‑conferencing tool called Visio. The decision is part of a broader push to reduce dependence on foreign tech firms, especially those based in the United States. French officials insist that public services must not rely on software whose code, servers, and legal frameworks lie outside Europe.

Why Paris wants “digital sovereignty”

President Emmanuel Macron’s government frames the shift as a matter of digital sovereignty and national security. Ministers say sensitive data, policy discussions, and scientific exchanges should not run through platforms governed by foreign laws or exposed to foreign surveillance.

Furthermore, the tensions over Greenland have sharpened Paris’s push for digital sovereignty. With the United States openly challenging the territorial integrity of a NATO‑linked Arctic territory. French officials see a broader pattern: dependence on American‑controlled technology could give Washington extra leverage over European states in times of geopolitical crisis. By bringing critical digital infrastructure under European control, France wants to ensure that its public services, defence systems, and policy‑making cannot be indirectly pressured or disrupted through foreign‑owned software and cloud platforms

Visio: France’s home‑grown alternative

Visio is being developed by the Interministerial Directorate for Digital Affairs (DINUM), France’s central digital agency. The platform has been in testing for about a year and already counts roughly 40,000 users, including staff from institutions such as the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

The tool is hosted on Outscale, a French sovereign‑cloud provider owned by Dassault Systèmes. This ensures that data stays within French and EU‑aligned legal frameworks. Officials describe Visio as a secure solution designed specifically for public‑sector workflows.

A strict timeline for change

Under the new plan, government departments must phase out Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, and Google Meet by 2027. No new licences for these US platforms will be purchased, and existing contracts will not be renewed.

The Ministry of Finance and other core agencies are already preparing training materials and technical support for hundreds of thousands of civil servants. The goal is to implement “in house” tech software , across ministries instead of a patchwork of foreign tools.

In particular, French officials highlight three main benefits: security, cost‑saving, and strategic autonomy. By moving communications to French‑controlled platforms, they say they can better protect classified and sensitive information.

Likewise, The government estimates that switching to Visio could save around €1 million per year for every 100,000 users, thanks to lower subscription costs and reduced integration overhead.

To conclude politically, the move sends a clear signal: France wants to govern its own critical digital infrastructure and not leave it in the hands of Silicon Valley.

A model for Europe ?

France’s Visio mandate is one of the first concrete, deadline‑driven implementations of the EU’s “digital sovereignty” rhetoric. While other member states have talked about strategic autonomy, Paris is now turning the slogan into binding policy and implementation.

Analysts suggest this could encourage other European governments to follow with their own sovereign‑tech initiatives. From cloud services to messaging and collaboration tools. For Macron’s France, the message is simple: when it comes to critical digital infrastructure, the future must be European‑made, European‑hosted, and European‑controlled.

As President Macron mentioned before: “Europe should design its own solutions” and “refuse to become a vassal in the digital realm “.