Heinlein Group Co-CEO Jutta Horstmann: Digital Sovereignty Means Strengthening Open Source

Germany quietly extends €500M Microsoft deal amid digital sovereignty backlash

For individual consumers, initiatives like Digital Independence Day (DI.Day) and countless guides have made it far easier to break free from Big Tech and regain control over their data. But in business and government, progress moves at a glacial pace—and often, the will to change seems lacking. In 2025 alone, the German federal government spent €500 million on Microsoft software licenses and extended the framework agreement through 2028, as revealed in a response to a parliamentary question from Green Party lawmaker Rebecca Lenhard.