Ursula von der Leyen is set to promote a fast‑track scheme for data‑centres in her upcoming State of the Union address, but members of the European Parliament are warning that the plan may cement the dominance of US cloud providers rather than boost European digital sovereignty.

The proposal, part of the Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA) unveiled in June 2026, would create "data‑centre acceleration zones" in which permits and grid connections are granted on an expedited basis. Critics say the shortcuts bypass existing environmental assessments and limit the ability of citizens and local authorities to challenge projects in court.

Who would profit?

Research by the Dutch think‑tank SOMO shows that the United States' biggest cloud operators, Microsoft, Google and Amazon, already dominate the pipeline of data‑centre projects announced or under construction across the EU. The firms are not only building their own facilities; they also act as anchor customers for co‑location providers that lease capacity to a range of users.

Co‑location companies, many of which are backed by US investment funds such as BlackRock and KKR, often sign long‑term contracts with the same tech giants. The European Commission itself admits that these anchor customers are essential for the financial viability of co‑location projects. As a result, even a data‑centre owned by a European firm could end up serving primarily American cloud services.

"The acceleration zones do not contain any clause that prevents Big Tech from benefiting," notes a SOMO analyst. "Without such a safeguard, the scheme simply opens the door for more US‑controlled capacity on European soil."

Weak safeguards and market concentration

Commission officials have argued that CADA includes measures to curb excessive market dominance and to give smaller players a foothold. In practice, however, the safeguards focus on competition within a single acceleration zone and do not consider the cumulative effect of a pan‑European network of data‑centres.

Data‑centre operations are notoriously opaque; authorities may not know who ultimately rents the servers until construction is complete. A European co‑location firm could therefore build a facility in an acceleration zone and lease the entire capacity to Microsoft, Meta or Oracle, leaving little benefit for local businesses or public services.

Equinix, a leading US‑based co‑location operator, has already refused to reserve capacity for European companies and public bodies, stating that "the IT world is not like that". This stance illustrates the limited incentive for private providers to align their business models with broader societal goals.

Environmental and democratic concerns

Accelerated permitting also raises alarms about environmental protection. Data‑centres consume large amounts of electricity and water, and their construction can impact local ecosystems. By sidelining standard environmental impact assessments, the proposal could undermine the EU's climate commitments.

Moreover, the draft legislation curtails the right of citizens to mount legal challenges. Recent court cases in Spain, France, Ireland and the Netherlands have shown that communities are increasingly willing to contest large‑scale data‑centre projects on grounds ranging from noise pollution to biodiversity loss. Limiting these avenues of recourse could fuel public resentment and erode trust in EU institutions.

Political reactions

Within the European Parliament, several members have called for a revision of CADA. They argue that any genuine push for digital sovereignty must be paired with transparency, public oversight and robust environmental standards.

"We cannot achieve autonomy by handing over critical infrastructure to Silicon Valley on a fast‑track basis," said a senior MEP from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. "The Commission must ensure that European data‑centres are owned and operated in the public interest."

Opponents of the acceleration zones also propose a temporary moratorium on new facilities that are owned, developed for, or primarily serve US tech firms. They suggest that a more measured approach, with clear limits on foreign ownership, would better protect European strategic interests.

What lies ahead

The Commission is expected to defend the acceleration zones as a way to keep Europe competitive in the global AI race. Proponents argue that faster deployment of compute capacity is essential for research, industry and public services.

Nevertheless, the debate highlights a tension between speed and sovereignty. While rapid infrastructure rollout can attract investment, it may also lock the continent into a dependency on external providers, undermining the very independence the EU seeks to secure.

As the State of the Union speech approaches, MEPs will have an opportunity to amend CADA before it becomes law. The outcome will shape whether Europe's data‑centre boom strengthens local economies and public services, or simply expands the footprint of US cloud giants on European soil.