Impact of an Internet Blackout in Europe

Impact of an Internet Blackout in Europe Immediate Consequences A complete internet shutdown in Europe would cause a massive halt to e-commerce, digital banking services, business communications, and intelligent transportation systems. Emergency services, hospitals with digitalized systems, and the automated manufacturing industry would be severely affected. Social and Economic Impact Personal communications would cease, generating social panic. Teleworking would become impossible, affecting millions of employees. Digital government services would be rendered inoperative, including identification systems and citizen procedures. Estimated Economic Cost Based on recent studies indicating that governments that disrupt the internet could be losing 1.9% of their GDP daily, a complete shutdown in Europe would cost approximately €15–20 billion per day. While a single hour of blackout in the United States would cost $458 million, Europe would face similar or higher costs due to its high digitalization and combined GDP of approximately €15 trillion annually. Full recovery could take weeks, exponentially multiplying the economic losses and social impact.