EuroStack and the Paradigm Shift to Digital Self-Determination

As mentionned in our 2025 predictions, Europe is at a crossroads. Do we continue down a path largely defined by non-European tech giants, or do we forge our own way, building a digital future that reflects our values and secures our autonomy? We at the EuroStack Initiative believe the answer is clear: we must choose sovereignty.

To truly understand the transformative potential of EuroStack, we need to look beyond conventional approaches to technology and policy. That's where the work of Donella Meadows, a pioneering environmental scientist and systems thinker, becomes invaluable.

Thinking in Systems: A Lesson from Donella Meadows

Meadows, best known for her work on the landmark study "The Limits to Growth," was a master at understanding complex systems. In her later work, particularly her posthumous book "Thinking in Systems: A Primer," she outlined a hierarchy of "leverage points" – places within a system where a small change can lead to a significant shift in the system's behavior.

While Meadows focused primarily on environmental systems, her insights are directly applicable, and have been applied, to the complex socio-technical system that is the business and digital worlds. Her highest leverage points – the goals of the system, the mindset or paradigm out of which the system arises, and the power to transcend paradigms – offer a powerful framework for rethinking Europe's digital strategy.

Applying Meadows' Principles to EuroStack

1. Reframing the Goals: From Competition to Sovereignty

Too often, the discussion around Europe's digital future is framed in terms of "competing" with the dominant global players. But this is a trap. It implicitly accepts the rules of a game designed by others. Meadows would encourage us to change the goal itself.

Instead of merely competing, the EuroStack Manifesto calls for a fundamental shift: prioritizing European digital sovereignty and autonomy. This means building a resilient, values-driven digital ecosystem that serves the long-term interests of European citizens and businesses, even if it means diverging from the dominant global trends. It means setting specific, measurable goals for reducing our reliance on non-European hardware and software, ensuring that a significant portion of public procurement goes to European SMEs, and establishing European leadership in key emerging technologies.

2. Shifting the Paradigm: Beyond Adaptation to Self-Determination

The prevailing paradigm in the digital realm is one of globalization dominated by a few large platforms, most of them headquartered outside of Europe. It often assumes that Europe's best option is to adapt to this reality. Meadows would challenge us to question this underlying mindset.

The EuroStack Manifesto embodies a different paradigm: one that values European digital self-determination, recognizing that technology is not neutral and that our current trajectory leads to unacceptable dependencies. It's a paradigm that prioritizes resilience, diversity, and democratic control over our digital infrastructure. We are not advocating for isolationism but for the ability to shape our own digital future, based on our own values and priorities.

3. Transcending Paradigms: Embracing Change, Building the Future, and Learning from Open Source

Meadows' most powerful leverage point is the ability to transcend paradigms altogether – to remain flexible and open to new ways of thinking. This requires a willingness to challenge deeply ingrained assumptions and embrace bold, transformative change. And in the world of technology, we have a powerful example of such a paradigm shift already underway: the rise of Open Source software.

Over the past 40 years, and particularly the last 25, Open Source has evolved from a niche movement to a dominant force in software development. It has fundamentally challenged the traditional proprietary model, demonstrating that collaboration, transparency, and community-driven innovation can create software that is not only more robust and secure but also more adaptable and cost-effective. From the Linux operating system powering much of the internet's infrastructure to the Android operating system on billions of mobile devices, Open Source has reshaped the technological landscape. This wasn't just a change in how software is built; it was a change in who builds it, why they build it, and who benefits. It represented a shift from closed, hierarchical systems to open, decentralized ones – a true paradigm shift.

The EuroStack Initiative must be more than just a collection of technologies; it must be a catalyst for this kind of paradigm shift, one that builds on the lessons of the Open Source movement. We need to foster a culture of questioning and critical thinking, encouraging "out-of-the-box" solutions that are not beholden to the old ways of doing things. The success of open source provides a compelling case study and a powerful set of tools for building a sovereign digital future. It shows us that a different path is not only possible but demonstrably successful.

We must create spaces for dialogue and be willing to learn from both successes and failures – both in our own endeavors and in the ongoing evolution of the Open Source ecosystem. And we must remember that the best solutions might be social, legal, or economic, as well as technological. The principles of Open Source – openness, transparency, collaboration, shared ownership – can inform not just our technology choices but also our policy decisions and governance structures. By embracing the spirit of Open Source and applying its lessons broadly, we can truly transcend outdated paradigms and build a digital future for Europe that is both sovereign and aligned with our values.

The EuroStack Manifesto: A Call to Action

The EuroStack Manifesto is a call to action, an invitation to reimagine Europe's digital future, to move beyond a mindset of competition and adaptation, and to embrace a future of sovereignty and self-determination.

By applying the teachings of Donella Meadows, we can ensure that the EuroStack Initiative is not just another tech project but a truly transformative force, one that empowers Europe to build a digital future that is resilient, inclusive, and aligned with our deepest values. We invite you to read the Manifesto and join us in this crucial endeavor.