Dr. Alina Kontareva is a senior researcher at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin. Her work centres on the political economy of internet technologies, particularly focusing on online platform companies. Currently, she is part of the EU Horizon project “INCA: Increase Corporate Political Responsibility and Accountability,” where she examines the impacts of online platforms on European economies and societies. Alina holds a PhD in Innovation Studies from the University of Oslo. She has held international fellowships at the University of California, Davis, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the Hague Program on International Cybersecurity.

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European digital policy is shifting towards reducing the continent’s structural dependency on foreign companies. Yet, it remains unclear how such a shift can be realized across different markets and technologies. This article examines Europe’s dependence on US platform companies—specifically Google, Meta (Facebook), Amazon, and Microsoft—which have become central providers of online services in Europe. We trace the historical roots of this dependency and analyze the strategic partnerships forged between US firms and European governments in Portugal, Italy, and Poland from the early 1990s to 2025. Our findings show that dependency extends beyond technological lock-in to include the central role of US platforms in national socio-economic development. The study further highlights a tension between EU-level policies aimed at achieving technological sovereignty and national-level priorities that continue to rely heavily on partnerships with US firms. We conclude the article by underscoring the need for a comprehensive industrial policy capable of balancing openness to global firms with the promotion of European competitiveness.