The head of Finnish Security and Intelligence Service has warned that Europe may never fully free itself from dependence on foreign technology.
Speaking at the Lennart Meri Security Conference in Tallinn, agency chief Juha Martelius said Europe remains heavily reliant on software from the United States and hardware from China.
Martelius compared the situation to “two types of cancer”, saying Europe has become deeply dependent on outside technologies in critical sectors.
He also warned against placing sensitive national security information, including election-related data, in foreign-owned cloud services. According to Martelius, Finland previously discussed moving election information to a cloud platform, but ultimately decided against it.
The Finnish intelligence chief said Europe currently lacks the ability to fully replace foreign technology providers, despite strong research and development in areas such as quantum technology and space industries.
Martelius added that Europe also continues to rely heavily on US support in security and defence matters, including in relation to the war in Ukraine.
