France has announced plans to phase out the use of American video conferencing platforms Microsoft Teams and Zoom across all government departments, replacing them with a domestically developed alternative by 2027. The decision forms part of a broader strategy to reduce reliance on foreign technology providers and strengthen national control over critical digital infrastructure.
The announcement was made on Monday as France intensified its push for digital sovereignty, a priority that has gained urgency amid rising geopolitical tensions and growing concerns across Europe about dependence on US-based technology firms.
Under the new policy, French public sector workers will transition to a locally developed video conferencing platform known as Visio. The platform has already been undergoing testing for the past year and currently has around 40,000 users within government services.
According to the Minister for the Civil Service and State Reform, David Amiel, the move is aimed at safeguarding the security and confidentiality of public communications. He said the government intends to end its reliance on non-European digital solutions in favour of a “powerful and sovereign tool”.
“The aim is to end the use of non-European solutions and guarantee the security and confidentiality of public electronic communications,” Amiel said.
Visio is part of France’s wider Suite Numérique initiative, a digital ecosystem designed to provide sovereign alternatives to popular US services such as Gmail, Slack and other collaboration tools. The suite is specifically intended for use by civil servants and will not be available for the general public or private companies.
The platform includes advanced features such as artificial intelligence-powered meeting transcripts and speaker identification, using technology developed by French start-up Pyannote. These capabilities are intended to enhance productivity while keeping sensitive data within national jurisdiction.
Hosting for Visio is provided by Outscale, a French sovereign cloud service operated by a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes. This infrastructure ensures that data storage and processing remain subject to French and European regulations rather than foreign legal frameworks.
The French government estimates that switching to Visio could significantly reduce licensing costs, with potential savings of up to €1 million per year for every 100,000 users. Officials say these financial benefits, combined with improved data control, make the transition both economically and strategically advantageous.
The decision also follows renewed scrutiny across Europe of its dependence on US IT infrastructure, particularly after cloud service outages in the United States last year disrupted services for organisations worldwide.
Amiel said the move reflects France’s determination to assert greater independence in the digital sphere. “This strategy highlights France’s commitment to digital sovereignty amid fears of foreign surveillance or service disruptions,” he added.
By committing to a full rollout of Visio by 2027, France is positioning itself at the forefront of Europe’s efforts to reclaim control over government technology and reduce strategic vulnerabilities in an increasingly digital world.
