Folks, big news today.
Did you know? Governments across Europe are breaking up with Microsoft. Not bluffing - they are actually switching systems at scale.
First, the backdrop: budgets are tight
Before the cases, here is why many are moving now.
The European economy has had a rough couple of years. With the Russia-Ukraine war dragging on and trade frictions mounting, governments are tightening belts. Germany, the economic engine of Europe, is cutting EUR 4.8 billion in spending; France is carrying EUR 3.2 trillion in public debt.
Which makes Microsoft invoices look especially painful.
Denmark is a textbook example: their Microsoft software spend jumped from DKK 313 million in 2018 to DKK 538 million in 2023 - up 72% in five years. Faster than housing in some places.
And Microsoft is raising prices again in 2025:
- From April, monthly plans up 5%
- Power BI up 40% (from $9.99 to $14)
- Teams Phone licensing up 25%
- On-prem server products up 15%-20%
Down economy + rising software bills = an easy calculation.
Germany leads the charge
The state of Schleswig-Holstein is migrating 30,000 civil servants’ PCs from Windows to Linux.
And it is not just the OS - they are switching the whole stack:
- Office to LibreOffice
- Exchange email to open-source alternatives
- Teams? Goodbye - replaced with open-source tools
This is not a pilot; it is a full cutover targeted for completion by 2026. It is set to be one of the largest Linux desktop deployments in the EU public sector.
Why go this far? Their answer is blunt: we want control of our data and we do not want to keep paying protection money to a US company.
Denmark is following
In June 2025, Denmark’s Ministry of Digitalization announced: ditch Office 365 and Windows, adopt LibreOffice and Linux.
Their stance is even firmer: we do not want foreign companies to control our nation’s office tools.
Harsh? Maybe. But with a 72% five-year bill increase on the table, you would think twice too.
France tasted the benefits early
France’s National Gendarmerie was the real pioneer. From 2004 to 2013 they migrated 37,000 desktops to Linux, ultimately saving millions of euros in licensing.
Italy’s Ministry of Defense followed by replacing Microsoft Office with LibreOffice on 5,000 machines.
These successes are living ads that show others: this can work.
Barcelona’s “Public Money, Public Code”
Barcelona moved early and thoroughly - step by step: email first, then office tools, then desktops to Linux.
Most of their software budget now goes to open-source tools. Their rallying cry is powerful: Public Money, Public Code.
If taxpayers fund the software, why should the code be closed? Hard to argue with that logic.
Lessons from Munich
You cannot talk about government Linux without mentioning Munich’s famous reversal.
Years ago Munich moved to Linux, then switched back to Windows. The problem was not Linux - it was people and politics: poor training, internal resistance, and heavy lobbying sank the project.
Today’s governments are wiser: better planning, better training, and a long-term commitment.
Why move now?
Four hard reasons:
1) Vendor lock-in feels awful
Anyone who has used the Microsoft stack knows the drill: files open perfectly only in Microsoft tools, workflows tied to Microsoft servers. Want out? Not easy.
That is not freedom; that is a cage.
2) It is expensive
Licensing climbs every few years. The 2025 increases above - a 40% hike for Power BI - feel like milking the user base.
Windows 11 goes further by declaring perfectly usable older PCs “obsolete” due to hardware requirements.
Linux, by contrast, keeps older machines useful for years, saving real money.
3) Data sovereignty
Governments need full control over their data. With Microsoft services, data flows through systems under US jurisdiction - a risk.
Europeans care a lot about digital sovereignty. With Linux, the data stays in their own hands.
4) You are always a tenant
With Microsoft, you are renting. You cannot see the code, and you cannot know what runs behind the scenes.
Linux is different: you own the system. Change it, inspect it, fix it. That is real control.
Will the wave spread?
Notably, there is even an “EU-Linux” petition calling for an EU-level Linux distribution - a sign of grassroots momentum.
People love to say Linux is too hard. Europe is disproving that with facts:
If Germany can enable 30,000 civil servants to work on Linux, the “Linux is too hard” myth is broken. If Denmark can abandon Office 365, the myth breaks further. If the French Gendarmerie can run it for a decade, the myth shatters.
They are not switching because Linux is cool; they are switching because Windows hurt them.
Lock-in hurts. High costs hurt. Loss of control hurts.
Linux addresses these problems.
So they moved.
It reminds me of this: when you stop staring at the pretty desktop and start caring who controls it, you wake up.
Europe chose control. Will others be far behind?
Sources:
- From Petition to Policy: How Europe’s Call for "EU-Linux" Signals a Continental Shift
- Microsoft 365 Price Increases in 2025
- 2025 Pricing Changes for Microsoft
What do you think? Could China follow? Share your thoughts in the comments.