AMZN GOOGL - EU CLOUD RULES COULD HIT BIG TECH BIDS A draft EU cloud computing law could make it harder for Amazon, Google and Microsoft to win contracts for "very critical" cloud services in Europe. The proposal would introduce mandatory non-price criteria in public procurement, including preferences for EU-designed or EU-made software and hardware, EU-based R&D, and security of supply. For non-EU providers, authorities would assess factors such as data protection standards, the level of third-country influence over data, services and decision-making, and how open their home markets are to foreign cloud providers. Sources and draft documents indicate the measures would strengthen the position of European cloud vendors in public-sector tenders.(*Walter Bloomberg)