EU's Trial of Teams Alternative Faces Internal Criticism
The European Commission launched Element Pro this summer, referring to it in internal memos as a "sovereign backup" for Microsoft Teams, intended to maintain official communications during U.S. service interruptions. Teams remains the main system.
Three anonymous officials questioned the system on an internal message board. One wrote, "I don't understand where the added value is," another called it "absolute shit." The third compared the two and stated that if the U.S. shut down its technology, it would "immediately win this war." A fourth person simply noted that they only had the assurance that "Microslop won't spy on us" regarding Teams.
The memo stated that the Commission is hosting the Element system on its own infrastructure, not on Microsoft’s cloud, to control communication data and systems. Features include voice and video calls, file sharing, and project-based rooms. A July memo indicated that digital sovereignty means greater data control to reduce disruption risks. The Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Element is a British company, and the software is based on the Matrix protocol already used by several governments. CEO Matthew Hodgson stated during a call with reporters using Element that the Commission is still in the trial phase, and initial switching will have its challenges, as different button placements can cause cognitive dissonance. He noted that the UN and NATO are also using Element Pro and are open to all feedback. A company spokesperson said the Commission requested not to disclose subscription details to the public.
This year, France announced that by 2027, millions of civil servants will stop using U.S. video tools like Teams and Zoom, opting for domestic solutions. The Austrian military replaced Microsoft Office with Germany's LibreOffice last year. This move by the Commission is part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on U.S. technology, although the main channel has not been switched off.
The buyer is the EU institution requiring business continuity, while the seller is Microsoft's collaborative suite and Element from the UK. This is not a replacement order but a backup procurement. The budget remains tied to the main Teams contract, with Element only taking on backup subscriptions. The beneficiary is Microsoft, which retains the default entry point, while the pressure is on the backup tool, which is intended for sovereign demonstration but has not been accepted by employees.
Source: Public Information
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The EU's pressure on Microsoft's collaborative software did not begin with this memo. Slack previously complained to the EU competition authorities about Teams being bundled with Office, leading Microsoft to sell Teams separately in Europe. This unbundling changed the pricing but did not alter the icon civil servants open daily. Element Pro is written as a backup for interruptions, effectively acknowledging that the main path remains Microsoft.
Financial movements are halted at the hosting layer. The Commission keeps the servers in its own data center, regaining control over data, yet requests that Element not disclose subscription details. France has set a replacement deadline for 2027, and the Austrian military switched to LibreOffice, both being stock replacements. The Commission's move is an incremental backup, with the main contract still intact. Element gains trial use and a sovereignty label, while Microsoft retains daily active users.
This can be compared to Gaia-X. The European cloud initiative explicitly mentions sovereignty, yet members still largely run on U.S. clouds. It also echoes the early deployment of Matrix by the German and French governments; the protocol exists, but the usage habit does not. The industry position is an attempt at control, not a complete replacement. The cost of switching collaborative software lies in groups, files, and calendars, not in protocol text.
Essentially, pricing power has not shifted. The sovereignty narrative provides a procurement rationale for backup tools, while daily workflows still give Microsoft pricing power. The mechanism is that the disruption has not yet occurred, but the pain has already begun: employees reject the backup due to poor experiences, while institutions retain backups to mitigate disruption risks. When two systems coexist, the default entry continues to collect rent.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
Backups cannot replace the default entry.
Sovereignty is written in the data center, but habits remain with old software.
Before supply is cut off, alternatives are merely costs.