Catalonia will invest €481 million over eight years to build an independent public cloud. The move aims to secure citizen data within European jurisdiction and reduce reliance on US tech giants. The project marks a major shift in digital sovereignty.
Catalonia is set to overhaul how it manages public data, committing €481 million to create Spain’s first independent public cloud. The Generalitat’s plan, announced Tuesday, will see a new digital infrastructure built to store and process citizen information exclusively under European—and specifically Catalan—jurisdiction. This marks a decisive step away from the current reliance on US-based tech giants, which currently dominate the storage of sensitive administrative data.
The project, presented by Presidency Minister Albert Dalmau, is designed to give Catalonia direct control over its digital assets. Dalmau emphasized that keeping citizen data on Catalan soil is a strategic priority, reflecting a broader push for digital sovereignty across the European Union. The new system will not replace existing private or public cloud models but will add a third, hybrid option to the Generalitat’s technology framework. The goal is to eventually host 40% of public services on the new independent cloud, with the remainder split between private and conventional public clouds.
Currently, according to the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS), 92% of Western data is managed by US companies such as Amazon Web Services, while only 4% is stored in Europe. This imbalance has raised concerns about security and control, especially as public applications like La Meva Salut, police systems, and tax agency platforms handle vast amounts of personal information. Albert Tort, Secretary of Telecommunications and Digital Transformation, highlighted the geopolitical risks of leaving critical assets in private hands, underlining the need for a robust, locally governed solution.
The new infrastructure is part of the Generalitat’s broader ESTRATEC strategy, approved by the Consell Executiu, which aims to strengthen control over digital assets, reduce dependence on external providers, and boost the resilience of public services. The contract will be awarded to a single operator for an initial eight-year period. Strict requirements mandate that all data operations remain within the European legal framework, and the data center itself must be located in Catalonia, directly connected to the Generalitat’s public fiber optic network. This is intended to ensure that no external entity can disrupt or disconnect the system.
Unlike previous digital initiatives, the Catalan cloud will not be limited to government use. The selected operator will be able to offer the same secure platform to other public administrations and private companies seeking compliance with European security and sovereignty standards. The Generalitat expects this openness to attract new investment and strengthen the region’s digital ecosystem.
The timeline for the project is ambitious: bids are expected over the summer, with the contract to be awarded before year’s end. Deployment is scheduled to begin in 2027, making this the largest digital infrastructure investment by the Generalitat in recent years. The move comes as European governments intensify efforts to reduce critical dependencies on foreign technology, especially in the face of growing competition between the US and China for control over digital infrastructure. France and Germany have also called for a unified EU policy on digital sovereignty, focusing on AI, cloud computing, and semiconductors.
While the focus is on digital security, the broader context of public safety remains a concern for Spanish authorities. For example, recent data on road fatalities, as reported in a recent analysis of Spain’s summer road accident spike, highlights the ongoing need for robust, locally managed information systems to support public services and emergency response.
Digital sovereignty has become a central issue for European administrations, with Catalonia’s initiative reflecting a wider trend toward reclaiming control over critical infrastructure. The project’s scale and scope signal a significant shift in how regional governments approach data management, aiming to ensure that sensitive information remains protected and accessible under local oversight. As the digital landscape evolves, such measures are likely to become increasingly common across Europe, shaping the future of public administration and citizen privacy.
