France will replace the American platforms Microsoft Teams and Zoom with its own internally developed video conferencing platform, which will be used in all government departments by 2027.
This move is part of France’s strategy to abandon foreign software providers, especially those from the United States, and to regain control over critical digital infrastructure, writes Euronews.
The decision comes at a crucial moment, as France, like all of Europe, reaches a turning point regarding digital sovereignty.
"The goal is to end the use of non-European solutions and to guarantee the security and confidentiality of public electronic communications, relying on a strong and sovereign tool," said David Amiel, Minister of State Reform.
On Monday, the Government announced that it will instead use the French-made video conferencing platform Visio. The platform has been in testing for a year and has approximately 40,000 users.
What is Visio
Visio is part of the French plan Suite Numérique, a digital ecosystem of tools designed to replace the use of online services from the USA, such as Gmail and Slack. These tools are intended for public officials and are not for use by public or private companies.
The platform also has a meeting transcription feature based on artificial intelligence, using the technology of the French start-up Pyannote.
Visio is hosted on the cloud infrastructure of the French company Outscale, a subsidiary of the French software company Dassault Systèmes.
The French government stated that transitioning to Visio could reduce licensing costs and could save up to 1 million euros per year for every 100,000 users.
This move comes in the context of Europe questioning its excessive dependence on IT infrastructure from the USA, following last year's cloud outages in the USA.
"This strategy underscores France's commitment to digital sovereignty amid growing geopolitical tensions and concerns about external surveillance or service disruptions," said Amiel.