Eleven European countries sign multi-million-euro public contracts with Palantir

Summary

A joint investigation by journalists from 18 countries revealed that at least 11 European countries have signed public contracts worth millions of euros with Palantir in the fields of defense, intelligence, health, and customs. Known European expenditures, including the United Kingdom, exceed 1.4 billion euros. Spain and the United Kingdom are preparing to replace Palantir with domestic alternatives following the expiration of the Spanish contract at the end of this year.

Why it matters

Palantir's software is at the center of European defense command, intelligence services, and public data infrastructure through NATO's Maven Smart System. This creates a single point of dependency on a US company whose CEO has explicitly stated that US military interests come first. The concentration of sovereign data processing capabilities with a single supplier raises serious questions regarding digital sovereignty, the oversight of civil liberties, and geopolitical influence, particularly given documented links to ICE operations, the war in Gaza, and controversial strikes in Iran.

Highlights

• Spain's 16.5 million euro defense contract was awarded in 2023 without a public tender and will not be renewed. A domestic firm will build a local version of the system.
• NATO adopted Palantir's Maven Smart System as its central command platform in March 2025. This allows alliance member countries to access the system even without direct bilateral contracts.
• More than 120 NGOs and unions from 30 European countries have formally called on governments to sever ties, citing dependency risks and alleged human rights violations.

Critical take

The article is well-sourced but relies heavily on Palantir's own public statements and the framing of the NGO letter. It does not independently verify specific operational claims, such as the link to the school attack in Iran. Furthermore, it lacks a technical assessment of whether a domestic alternative can actually match the platform's capabilities within the stated timeframe. This makes the 'sovereignty' argument somewhat overstated.