European cloud group seeks EU action against Broadcom

The lobbying group Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE) has formally requested that European Union antitrust regulators implement interim measures against Broadcom Inc.. The request seeks to halt the termination of the VMware Cloud Service Provider program, marking an escalation in the ongoing dispute between European cloud firms and the United States-based technology giant. CISPE, which represents nearly 50 members across the continent and includes Microsoft Corporation and Amazon.com, Inc. as associate members, has been a vocal critic of the acquisition. Last year, the group initiated legal action against the European Commission for its approval of Broadcom's 2023 acquisition of VMware, alleging that the regulator failed to conduct a sufficiently thorough examination of the deal's impact on competition. The latest friction stems from a revamp of the VMware cloud service ecosystem initiated late last year. According to CISPE, Broadcom signaled the termination of its European partner program in January 2026, a move the group claims was made unilaterally. The association stated that this decision effectively removed the vast majority of partners, leaving only a select few and preventing most European cloud service providers from selling VMware products. > Both cloud providers and their customers - are being irreparably damaged by Broadcoms unfair actions, CISPE Secretary General Francisco Mingorance said. In its appeal to the Commission, CISPE argued that an interim measure is necessary to immediately suspend the termination of the partner program. The group is also calling for the readmission of excluded providers and the establishment of safeguards to protect members from potential retaliation by Broadcom. Neither the European Commission nor Broadcom provided an immediate response to requests for comment regarding the filing.