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While technologies from communist China do not enjoy a particularly good reputation in Czechia and are the subject of tense political debates, there is far less discussion about the country’s dependence on American technologies in public administration and critical infrastructure. However, the debate has begun to develop at the European level.

Author: Kateřina Čajka Zichová

As early as 2018, the Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NÚKIB) issued a warning against the use of software and hardware from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE. “Chinese laws require private companies operating in China, among other things, to cooperate with intelligence activities. Allowing them access to systems that are key to the functioning of the state may therefore pose a threat,” said then-director of NÚKIB Dušan Navrátil.

Another warning came last year when NÚKIB cautioned against the use of a wide range of products and solutions provided by DeepSeek on devices “accessing information and communication systems of critical information infrastructure, information systems of essential services, and significant information systems.”

As the technology news server Lupa.cz pointed out, it is now essentially a closed chapter for Chinese companies such as Huawei to enter parts of the domestic market, particularly in communications and IT. However, they have found a loophole in a strategically critical sector: energy. The semi-state-owned energy company ČEZ is building solar power plants using Huawei technology. Researchers from the Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT) have also warned that China is studying how to penetrate European electricity grids.

Chinese intrusions into key digital and other infrastructure could, however, come to an end due to EU regulations. The proposed Cybersecurity Act, which will now be negotiated between EU institutions and member states and for which Czech MEP Markéta Gregorová (Pirates, Greens/EFA) serves as rapporteur in the European Parliament, includes plans for the gradual phasing out of components and equipment from high-risk suppliers in critical sectors.

Not cutting off but securing and diversifying

In Europe, discussions are also increasingly turning toward the United States, in addition to China. European countries are heavily dependent on American technologies in both the public and private sectors. Amid a tense geopolitical situation and cooling relations with Europe following the return of President Donald Trump’s administration, European politicians are examining whether and how this dependence could be reduced. Europe does not want to risk Europeans’ private data or sensitive government data being compromised or transferred overseas, nor the possibility that American companies could simply shut down their services in Europe.

“Public administration depends on software from the American company Microsoft, and U.S. firms Visa and Mastercard are responsible for nearly two-thirds of card payment transactions in the EU. In a crisis scenario, the United States could cut Europe off from these services,” warned MP Irena Ferčíková Konečná (Greens) at a recent conference titled Czech Priorities in European Policy.

Earlier this year, Microsoft even had to allay concerns about data security in Czechia. According to Lupa.cz, the two highest-ranking representatives of Microsoft in the country published texts aimed at calming fears about the potential transfer of data to the United States.

As confirmed by NÚKIB, from a cybersecurity perspective it is important that public institutions are not tied to a single type of technology or a single provider. However, the agency does not have precise data quantifying the extent of the use of American technologies.

“It is very difficult to quantify, because each institution uses a different set of systems and services, and their use is evolving rapidly. In general, however, it can be said that the Czech approach is not based on a one-sided orientation but on the long-term goal of increasing resilience through diversification,” the agency told Update EU.

According to Ferčíková Konečná, however, the EU neither wants nor can completely expel American Big Tech from its market. Nor should it do so, according to Ondřej Ferdus, Director of the Digital Economy Section at the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic.

“If the EU is to remain a relevant global actor in today’s period of geopolitical destabilisation, it must achieve technological strength – it must be capable of using all available, secure, and regulatory compatible technologies, maintaining control over them, developing its own capacities, and at the same time diversifying supplier relationships so that it is not dependent on a single supplier or region,” he told Update EU.

“In the ideal situation we should strive for, Europe will function like a neuron connected through equal partnerships across the world, so that no one can exploit our dependence economically or even misuse it for security purposes. However, I certainly would not abandon or weaken transatlantic cooperation,” said Czech MEP Jan Farský (STAN, EPP), who sees the issue similarly.

According to Ferdus, access to global technologies is an advantage for Europe and Czechia, not a weakness. “The key problem is not the country of origin of a technology supplier, but control over data, cybersecurity, infrastructure resilience, and strict compliance with European rules,” he added.

For the time being, Europe also lacks sufficient alternatives to completely cut itself off from American technologies and replace them with its own. “Europe does not lack know-how or talent, but above all speed, simplicity, and the ability to scale innovation. Today’s digital infrastructure includes not only data centres, but also software, cloud services, connectivity, and the ability to deploy these technologies quickly in practice,” he explained.

Open Czechia

In the future, the development of European alternatives could benefit from Czech expertise. Ivo Lukačovič, owner of the Czech internet company Seznam, recently indicated that Seznam is building its own servers, constructing data centres, and training AI models.

“We certainly also need European cloud and computing infrastructure and manufacturing capacity, for example for chips. Our advantage would be to reach the forefront in AI and other technologies. But above all, we should strive to create conditions for our talented minds and companies so that they themselves develop globally competitive products and services,” said Czech MEP Ondřej Krutílek (ODS, ECR).

According to Farský, Europe should also have its own alternatives where possible. However, it should not pursue a path of protectionism. Instead, it should enforce existing European rules on digital giants, such as the GDPR, the Digital Services Act, and the Digital Markets Act.

“Where security is concerned, we should avoid dependence; otherwise, we should not,” he added when asked whether the state should encourage the public and private sectors to prefer European technologies.

While France is taking a stricter approach and plans to phase out American videoconferencing platforms in public administration from 2027 and replace them with a French solution, Czechia remains more open, and cutting off technologies from the United States is not currently on the agenda.

“I certainly would not jump on a wave of radical anti-Americanism simply because President Trump is currently sitting in the White House. The United States is, and I believe will remain, a strategic ally of Europe. At this moment I definitely see no reason to radically cut ourselves off from technological solutions originating in America, especially if there are no at least equally strong European alternatives,” said Krutílek.

“Czechia and other export-oriented states emphasize that openness and competition are key to innovation, quality, and the availability of technologies. Restricting them, on the other hand, could lead to reduced competitiveness, higher prices, and lower quality of services,” Ferdus added.

The United States as a long-term ally

This approach is also reflected in the National Cybersecurity Strategy for 2026.

“Provided that an open market environment is preserved, Czechia will limit the dependence of its strategic infrastructure on risky technologies and will prefer security solutions of domestic origin or those originating from reliable partner and allied countries,” the strategy states.

As NÚKIB told Update EU, the United States has long been an ally of both Czechia and the EU not only in security and defence, but also in cybersecurity.

“If circumstances were to change over time and a supplier began to exhibit new security threats, there are tools available to reassess these risks and respond accordingly,” NÚKIB explained. The agency added that when evaluating the reliability of partners or allied countries, a large number of variables are considered – from technical and legal specifics, to the nature of past cooperation, the history of mutual relations, and changes in strategic approaches to particular issues.

“Labelling a country as untrustworthy will never be based on a single change or a single problem. On the contrary, it is always a comprehensive process that takes into account a wide range of factors. The main criterion will always remain the security and reliability of the specific technology and its supplier,” the agency added when asked whether the Czech approach to American technologies is changing, for example in response to steps taken by Donald Trump’s administration.

The project is co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.