Aufruf an Regierungen + EU-Kommission: In Europa ist kein Platz für Palantir - No place for Palantir in a democratic Europe!

Foto: H.S.

Europäische Union - 28.09.2026 - von European Federation of Public Service Unions

We are European organisations demanding that our governments and the European Commission scrap all existing public sector contracts with the US tech company Palantir Technologies and permanently end our states links to this firm.

Palantir is a US tech company that makes tools and software that are widely used by governments for surveillance and AI warfare.

In the US, Palantir has supplied data mining tools to ICE which uses them to track migrants and trawl through information including social media posts, location history and health data.

Its software has also been used in predictive policing in Los Angeles and New Orleans, a
policing practice which automates and deepens the impact of existing institutional biases.
Palantirs tools are used by the Israeli military and its CEO has expressed pride in the
companys support for Israel, even as the state faces genocide proceedings at the International Court of Justice.

Its record should disqualify it from involvement in the operations and functioning of democratic governments. Yet it has been handed public sector contracts throughout Europe, ranging from healthcare to military and policing.


Corporate capture of the public sector
European democracies have suffered decades of corporate capture, with private interests
increasingly entrenched at the heart of governments. But we believe Palantirs advance into our public institutions poses particular risks to civil rights and democracy.

One issue is the technologies themselves, which are designed to rapidly process and analyse information, facilitating increased surveillance and amplifying the repressive powers of the state.

The incorporation of such freedom-threatening technologies into the state, achieved with little debate or transparency, is a threat to vulnerable groups and popular movements.
Further, dependence on the company reinforces the strength of – and makes us increasingly
dependent on – a class of tech billionaires whose influence and control over public life is already unprecedented. Meanwhile, as the company eats up lucrative public contracts funded by taxpayers, it has also exploited loopholes to pay extremely low rates of tax in some European countries.

Palantir is a drain on public wealth.


Dangerous dependence

Europes increasing dependence on a single company for key services is also a threat to
national and popular sovereignty. Palantirs access to sensitive data, its entrenchment across different parts of the state and the risk of vendor lock-in exposes public services and national infrastructure to substantial financial and political risk.

It also ties the state to a company it is impossible to trust. Members of Palantirs billionaire leadership have made statements that run counter to ideas of popular power, equality and democracy.

For example, its co-founder and chair Peter Thiel once wrote that he considered votes for
women detrimental to his vision of American capitalism, and that he no longer believed
“freedom and democracy are compatible”.

The companys proximity to Trumps American nationalist administration makes dependence
unwise, not least because the president has shown such willingness to weaponise US economic and trade relationships. This includes dozens of cases in which Trumps administration has pressed governments to give up democratically mandated policies to regulate the digital space.

One former Nato adviser has argued that Palantir should be considered a “vector of malign
influence” and warned that embedding Palantir into sensitive systems is “risky”. This is not an ambiguous criticism.


Waking up to the threat

Some countries are waking up to the threats posed by Palantir. Switzerland has rejected
Palantir bids at least nine times, while Spain has banned its state companies from taking on new Palantir contracts. Other countries including the Netherlands and Denmark are seeking to prevent or end reliance on the firm.

But despite popular pressure, Palantir continues to win new contracts throughout Europe. And European finance is also deepening its stake in Palantir. Over the course of 2025, more than 100 of the continents largest banks, asset managers, insurers and pension funds expanded their combined holdings in the company by nearly 70 percent compared to the year before. By the end of 2025, those shares were worth at least $27 billion.


Beyond Palantir

Palantirs growing foothold in the public sector across Europe is a symptom of a democratic
crisis. Governments are responding to popular discontent at the cost of living and defunded services by doubling down on private sector solutions and dubious `technofixes`, while also expanding the use of surveillance and militarised repression.

We call for an urgent change of direction. This means revitalising our democratic structures and institutions, and urgent action to ensure public control and strict regulation of technologies that are already further concentrating power in the hands of a dangerous class of tech billionaires and strengthening authoritarians.

Governments should instead work with companies and workers in the tech industry to develop
open-source software as a first priority for data solutions. Our countries and popular movements within them should jointly develop and share technologies with those seeking to steer against the global wave of far-right authoritarianism and the corporations that enable it.


We say Palantir out of our public services!

Demands

European governments and public institutions should:
- Terminate contracts with Palantir Technologies and permanently ban the company from
future public contracts

- Develop alternative data solutions compatible with public service – and put in place
transparent mechanisms for safeguarding people from mass surveillance

- Protect democracy and guard against the rise of the far right by investing in and
democratising public institutions, providing good jobs and services

- Work to build international coalitions against corporate capture by companies like
Palantir, building and sharing alternative technological developments

- Europes public finance institutions must divest from Palantir


No place for Palantir in a democratic Europe!

Sign-ons by 16 September 2026:
125 organisations from 30 countries
Europe-wide/international

Article 19 Europe
Balanced Economy Project
Coalition for Women in Journalism
Corporate Europe Observatory
Corpwatch (US)
Counter Balance
Debt for Climate
Defend Democracy
Digital Action
Ek
Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice
European ATTAC Network
European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine
European Digital Rights (EDRi)
European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU)
European Trade Union Confederation
European Trade Union Network for Justice in Palestine
Friends of the Earth Europe
Indivisible Abroad
International Trade Union Confederation
Newsmast Foundation
People vs Big Tech
Public Services International
The Good Lobby
Transparency International EU
Transnational Institute
Union Syndicale Fédérale
WeMove Europe

Albania
Trade Union Federation of Defence Civil Workers of Albania

Armenia
Health Workers Union of Armenia
Union of State, Local Government and Public Service Employees of Armenia

Austria
ATTAC Austria
Initiative for Internet Freedom
Social Democratic Fraction in the Public Service Union (FSG-GÖD)
Younion: The Public Services Union

Belgium
ACV Puls
Association of Employees, Technicians and Managers (SETCa-BBTK)
Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (ACV-CSC)
FairFin
General Labour Federation of Belgium (FGTB-ABVV)
General Union of Public Services (ACOD-CGSP)
KAIROS EUROPE/ Wallonie-Bruxelles
Union Syndicale Fédérale

Bulgaria
National Federation of Commerce, Services, Customs and Tourism - Podkrepa CL
Croatia
Politiscope
Trade Union of Education, Media and Culture of Croatia (SOMK)

Cyprus
Cyprus Workers Confederation

Czechia
Trade Union of the Health Service and Social Care of the Czech Republic

Denmark
IT-Pol

Finland
Attac Finland
Friends of the Earth Finland
Sumud - the Finnish Palestine Network

France
ATTAC France
Data for Good
Federation of Health and Social Services CFDT
Feminists Against Cyberbullying
Interco Federation CFDT
La Quadrature du Net
National Federation of Mines and Energy CGT
Sciences Citoyennes

Germany
ATTAC Germany
Digitale Gesellschaft
German Association for Data Protection (DVD)
Ver.di – United Services Union

Greece
Homo Digitalis
Naturefriends Greece

Hungary
ATTAC Hungary
Democratic Union of Nursery Workers (BDDSZ)
Federation of Trade Unions in the Electric Energy Industry (EVDSZ)

Ireland
Energy Services Union of Ireland
Fórsa
Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation
Uplift

Italy
ATTAC Italy
CGIL Civil Service
Osservatorio Nessuno OdV
Privacy Network
The Good Lobby Italy

Latvia
Latvian Health and Social Care Workers Trade Union

Lithuania
Lithuanian Industry Trade Union Federation

Luxembourg
Independent Luxembourg Trade Union Confederation

Netherlands
Bits of Freedom
Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO)
Federation of Dutch Trade Unions (FNV)

Norway
ATTAC Norway
Electricians and IT Workers Union
Electronic Frontier Norway
Norwegian Civil Service Union
Norwegian Nurses Organisation
Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees

Palestine Committee of Norway
Tech Action Group

Portugal
Health, Solidarity and Social Security Workers Union

Romania
Centre for Policies, Initiatives and Research "Platforma"
COLUMNA-SCOR Federation

Slovakia
Slovak Gas Trade Union

Slovenia
Danes Je Nov Dan
Trade Union of Professional Firefighters of Slovenia

Spain
ATTAC Spain
Confederation of Workers Trade Unions (USO)
CCOO Federation of Health and Socio-Sanitary Sectors
UGT Public Services
Xnet, Institute for Democratic Culture in the Digital Era

Sweden
Kommunal, Swedish Municipal Workers Union
Swedish Association of Health Professionals
Swedish Union of Civil Servants
Swedish Union of Professionals
Vision trade union

Switzerland
BreakFree Suisse
Digitale Gesellschaft CH

Turkey
Road Construction and Building Workers Union of Turkey (YOL-??)

United Kingdom
Another Europe is Possible
Campaign Against Arms Trade
Corporate Watch
Global Justice Now
Good Law Project
GM Watch
International Centre of Justice for Palestinians
Just Treatment
New School of the Anthropocene
Stop Trump Coalition
Tax Justice UK
Trade Justice Movement
UNISON - the public service union

Quelle: EPSU