France plans to phase out American video conferencing services such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams within government agencies and replace them with its own proprietary tool, Visio. The goal is to strengthen security and protect confidentiality in public communications by reducing dependence on non-European solutions.

Visio has been tested in pilot form since last year and is now being rolled out to around 200,000 government employees. According to the French government, discontinuing licenses for external services could mean savings of around €1 million per year for every 100,000 users who switch.

The decision is in line with the EU’s increased focus on technological sovereignty. The European Parliament recently adopted a resolution calling for reduced dependence on foreign players in cloud services, software, and AI, especially since US-based companies dominate Europe’s cloud market.

The criticism concerns, among other things, legal risks linked to US legislation, such as the Cloud Act, which can give US authorities access to data, even when it is stored in Europe.

“This project is a concrete example of the Prime Minister’s and the government’s desire to regain our digital independence,” David Amiel, deputy minister for public administration and state reform, said in a statement. “We cannot take the risk of exposing our scientific exchanges, sensitive data, and strategic innovations to non-European players. Digital sovereignty is both a necessity for our public services, an opportunity for our businesses, and insurance against future threats.”