More than 100 organisations in 15 European countries demand a moratorium on new large data centres

Coordinated actions in eight countries

On Friday and Saturday, November 6–7, protest actions called Stop Dirty Data Centres will take place across Europe. More than 100 human rights, environmental and civil society organisations from 15 countries are demanding an immediate moratorium on new large-scale data centres until clearer rules for their operation are introduced. Demonstrations, public meetings, petition drives, bike rides and even poetry readings are planned in Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Spain, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom, reports euronews.

What worries the participants

The organisers explain the action by 'growing concerns about the impact of the expanding network of data centres on local communities, public infrastructure, land, water and energy use, housing, employment and the cost of living'. Owen Espley, coordinator of StopDirtyDataCentres.eu, said that communities which have opposed 'the imposition of energy-, water- and land-hungry data centres' are now 'stepping onto the European political stage', and called on political leaders to introduce moratoriums at the European, national and local levels. Among the specific complaints are rising electricity bills, additional strain on scarce water resources, air pollution from backup generators, heavy construction traffic and round-the-clock equipment noise.

The American backdrop and the scale of investment

The actions come right after the US midterm elections, where, according to euronews, data centres and their impact on local communities became a decisive issue: Democrats won Congress by promising to halt further development of AI centres and rein in Big Tech, while Republicans were seen as supporters of unrestricted construction of such facilities. For Europe, this is a context that increases pressure on its own policy: the continent is expanding data centre deployment, seeking to catch up with the US and China in the artificial intelligence race. According to the report PwC Global Data Centre Outlook 2026–2050, cited by the outlet, annual investment in such projects in Europe has grown from €12 billion in 2020 to €25–26 billion this year, and total spending in 2026–2031 is expected to reach €176 billion. For now, this is only about activists' demands: no EU or national regulator has introduced a moratorium.