Europe seeks digital sovereignty, balancing tech reliance on US/China giants by building open, European infrastructure and standards.
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Europe is realizing that digital transformation is fundamentally an issue of power, as much of its digital life—from government services to AI model training—relies on technologies and infrastructure controlled primarily by the US and China. The European Commission has proposed measures to enhance “digital sovereignty” in areas like semiconductors, AI, cloud computing, and open source code. For countries like Greece, the challenge is moving beyond mere digitalization to achieving technological independence by developing domestic infrastructure and software. Key initiatives include national supercomputers and AI factories, aiming to build a self-sufficient innovation ecosystem.
Experts advise that the necessary strategy should not be one of isolationist self-sufficiency but rather an open European autonomy. They warn against becoming mere consumers of foreign platforms, highlighting risks such as data being subject to foreign jurisdictions (like the US Cloud Act) and the potential for critical services to be disrupted by external powers. The focus must shift from simply having digital public services to controlling data, infrastructure, software, and computing power.
Other European nations are pursuing similar goals: Spain is developing a roadmap focusing on national identification platforms and interoperable cross-border payment systems to reduce reliance on US tech giants. Austria is prioritizing digital sovereignty by building national cloud infrastructures and promoting open-source solutions while maintaining some access to advanced foreign models for non-critical tasks. Overall, the consensus among experts is that true autonomy requires developing public infrastructure, adhering to open standards, ensuring data control within national borders, and fostering collaboration across Europe rather than pursuing isolated technological self-sufficiency.
