European with data and AI: what stays in the EU today and where we are heading
The board at Meerwijk Care Group wants to know where the data goes when an AI model is involved. "In the cloud" is not an answer, and neither is "fully European" with small print attached.
This page says it precisely. Today the platform and the data run in the EU, and per customer you decide which models are allowed. Below that is what is not yet the case, and where we are going.
Updated .
Where do the platform and the data run?
The platform and stored data run today in Azure West Europe, in the Netherlands. Conversations, tasks, encrypted transcripts and datasets are stored there.
Mila connects Meerwijk's reporting database. The password is stored encrypted in that environment, and dashboard results are kept there encrypted as well.
Which AI models process in the EU?
Mistral is a European provider, and Azure OpenAI offers EU data residency. With those two, processing by the model stays in the EU.
| Model | Provider | Processing |
|---|---|---|
| Mistral | European | EU |
| OpenAI GPT through Azure OpenAI | American | EU data residency |
| Claude through Azure AI Foundry | American | No EU data zone yet (as of September 2026) |
| Gemini | American | EU processing lags behind the newest models |
Can you enforce European-only processing per customer?
Yes: per customer you decide which models are allowed, and the gateway refuses every request to any other model. That refusal never reaches the provider.
For client records, Meerwijk only allows Mistral and Azure OpenAI with EU data residency. A colleague who picks Claude in the conversation gets a refusal instead of an answer.
Combine that with the metrics-only mode and no rows or values reach the model at all. Only metadata and counts.
Where is the hosting going?
We are moving the platform to a European cloud, StackIT or Hetzner. That is on the roadmap; it is not yet a fact.
The reason is ownership, not just location. Infrastructure with a European owner falls outside the US CLOUD Act, while a Dutch data centre run by an American provider does not.
When the move is complete, we will say so here and in the wiki. Until then we say: the platform runs in the EU, on Azure.
What do you control yourself?
- Models per customer. Allow only models with European processing for sources with personal data.
- Data access per source. Keep sensitive sources on metrics only.
- Local sessions. Keep them off if a personal AI subscription processes outside the EU.
Ruben records those three choices in Meerwijk's rules. Every task remembers which version applied when it started.
Where it stops
If you choose an American model without EU processing, what the platform passes on goes to that processing. The platform limits what that is, not where the model runs.
When you work with your own AI tool, processing by the model falls under your own subscription. The platform has no say in that.
And Azure West Europe is a European region of an American provider. That is why the move is on the roadmap.
Frequently asked questions
Is Plainwater AI fully European?
The platform and data run in the EU today, on Azure West Europe. The move to a European cloud such as StackIT or Hetzner is on the roadmap.
Which AI models process in the EU?
Mistral, a European provider, and Azure OpenAI with EU data residency. Claude through Azure AI Foundry has no EU data zone yet.
Can I stop a colleague from using a non-European model?
Yes. You decide per customer which models are allowed, and the gateway refuses any other model before the request reaches the provider.
When will the move to StackIT or Hetzner be done?
We are not giving a date yet. As soon as it is done, it will be on this page and in the wiki.