International Criminal Court to phase out Microsoft Office and adopt European open-source alternatives
It has been revealed that the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in the Netherlands, will be switching its work environment from
Software: Strafgerichtshof ersetzt Microsoft durch deutsche Lösung
https://www.handelsblatt.com/technik/it-internet/software-strafgerichtshof-ersetzt-microsoft-durch-deutsche-loesung/100166382.html
openDesk is a program package developed by the Center for Digital Sovereignty (ZenDiS), a company owned by the German federal government, and includes open source software with ties to Europe, such as the file manager
ZenDis was founded within the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and is directly supported by the ministry, with the stated goal of 'strengthening the independence of public administrations by eliminating their reliance on individual technology providers.' By switching to open source software developed by such companies, ZenDis is believed to aim to reduce dependence on foreign sources.
German media outlet Handelsblatt, which reported on the case, pointed out that 'the International Criminal Court adopted ZenDis's openDesk in order to reduce its dependence on the United States and escape American pressure.'
The background to this is the sanctions imposed by the US government under President Donald Trump. In February 2025, President Trump pointed out that the opening of preliminary investigations into the US and Israel, which are not members of the International Criminal Court, and the issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others threaten the sovereignty of the US and its allies, and announced that the International Criminal Court would impose penalties on abuse of power.
In May 2025, the Microsoft account of Karim Khan, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, was suspended due to sanctions.
Microsoft suspends email accounts of International Criminal Court officials at Trump's command, accelerating EU countries' move away from US companies - GIGAZINE
'The US government is considering further sanctions, which could significantly limit the ICC's ability to operate,' Handelsblatt said. 'While the ICC has a relatively small workforce of around 1,800 employees compared to international companies, the move from Microsoft to OpenDesk has significant geopolitical significance.'
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