In 2022, European technology leaders can expect less volatility than in 2021, but it won't be smooth sailing. Brexit's impact will become clear as COVID-19 recedes, and regulators will draft new rules to protect Europeans as they work from home. Here are some of Forrester's most important predictions that will impact European technology leaders' planning for 2022: 

• Politicians will have to give up their dreams of a sovereign European cloud, but Gaia-X's transparency and data usage standards will conquer the world.US-based cloud hyperscalers met European customers' requirements by clearly describing their existing capabilities, partnering more with local companies, and delivering a few new features. Thus, Gaia-X never stood a chance as Europe's sovereign cloud, but it has pushed providers to be more explicit about how they protect customer data, to the benefit of all. Gaia-X has also kick-started standards for transparency and data usage and raised the profile of initiatives like the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA), which is developing mechanisms to govern the sharing (or selling) of data. 

• 60% of businesses (in Europe and globally) will find themselves with more technical debt post-pandemic, not less.At a majority of European businesses, the 2020