LibreOffice slams Euro-Office as “a freeware clone” of Microsoft Office — riding on digital sovereignty
A coalition of European organizations, including IONOS, Nextcloud, Eurostack, XWiki, OpenProject, Soverin, Abilian, and BTactic, launched Euro-Office on June 9, 2025, positioning it as a cloud-based alternative to Microsoft Office and Google Docs. The software-as-a-service platform targets public authorities, educational systems, and enterprises seeking to reduce reliance on US-based productivity services and advance digital sovereignty.
The launch reflects broader European strategic priorities around technological independence and data control. Euro-Office promotes itself as a sovereignty-focused solution, addressing concerns about dependency on American cloud infrastructure for critical productivity tools.
LibreOffice’s Document Foundation criticized the launch, characterizing Euro-Office as “a freeware clone” of Microsoft Office and noting that Europe has previously produced other open-source office alternatives. This criticism highlights competitive tensions within the European office software ecosystem, where multiple projects compete for adoption among organizations prioritizing digital sovereignty.
The initiative underscores the European Union’s push toward self-sufficiency in digital infrastructure, particularly for tools used by government agencies and educational institutions.