France Prioritizes Sovereign Control, Replaces U.S. Teams and Zoom
France is set to prioritize its digital sovereignty by replacing American video conferencing platforms Microsoft Teams and Zoom with a homegrown alternative called Visio. This strategic shift, announced on January 27, 2026, aims to ensure that all government departments utilize the new platform by 2027.
Transitioning to Visio
The move to Visio forms part of France’s broader initiative to reduce dependency on foreign software, particularly from the United States. This decision is timely as Europe navigates its digital sovereignty landscape.
Government Insights
David Amiel, the Minister for Civil Service and State Reform, stated that the goal is to abandon non-European solutions. The new platform will enhance the security and confidentiality of public electronic communications.
Features of Visio
- Developed as part of France’s Suite Numérique plan.
- Designed exclusively for civil servant use, not for public or private enterprise.
- Includes AI-powered meeting transcription and speaker diarization features, developed by French start-up Pyannote.
- Hosted on the sovereign cloud infrastructure of the French company Outscale, a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes.
Cost-Effectiveness
Implementing Visio is expected to be economically advantageous. The French government estimates potential savings of around €1 million annually for every 100,000 users by cutting licensing costs.
Geopolitical Context
This initiative reflects growing concerns within Europe about its reliance on US technological infrastructure. Past incidents of US cloud outages have raised alarms over foreign vulnerabilities in critical digital services.
Amiel emphasized that this move underscores France’s commitment to digital sovereignty in the face of geopolitical tensions and fears surrounding foreign surveillance or service interruptions.
