Finland has puts migration of electoral platform to Amazon Web Services on hold
Finland has put its planned migration of its electoral platform to Amazon Web Services on hold for the time being. The Nordic country will keep its electoral system on existing servers within the country until after the parliamentary election in April 2027. The decision was made on 24 March 2026 following a review by the Ministry of Justice, which had originally decided in spring 2025 to move to the cloud-based platform of the US company.
The ministry attributes the change of course to the altered international political framework of the past twelve months. The government is deferring a final decision on the future hosting solution to a later date. The review took place against the backdrop of growing concerns regarding data security and state sovereignty in the use of foreign cloud infrastructure.
Paper and Digital Systems Working Together
Finland conducts elections using physical paper ballots. However, the digital infrastructure takes on central tasks in the administration of polling stations, candidate lists, and voter registers. The computer system is also used for counting votes and publishing election results. This hybrid structure combines traditional electoral procedures with modern data processing.
In the Finnish government’s assessment, the international political situation has fundamentally changed. This change particularly affects the relationship between European states and US technology companies. Under current conditions, the original decision in favour of Amazon Web Services no longer seems appropriate to those responsible.
AWS, for its part, has as reported launched its own EU offering under the name “European Sovereign Cloud“, however observers are sceptical, citing the US Cloud Act and FISA Act.
Sovereignty Debate in Europe
The US Cloud Act obliges American companies to hand over data to US authorities regardless of where it is stored. This regulation reinforces European concerns regarding control over sensitive information. The current political situation in the United States further undermines the trust of European institutions. Major US providers such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta are also attempting to use the US government to exert pressure on the European Union to nullify regulations such as the Digital Services Act.
Experts and politicians are increasingly urging public bodies and companies to expand their technological independence from US hyperscalers. The demand for digital sovereignty is gaining importance in Europe. Finland’s decision fits into a broader movement that seeks to keep critical infrastructure and sensitive data on European or national systems. The development shows how geopolitical tensions influence technological decisions and prompt European states to reassess their dependencies.
