‘Making our own choices’: EU announces blueprint for technology sovereignty
‘Making our own choices’: EU announces blueprint for technology sovereignty
Publish Date: 2026-06-03 10:32:00
Source Domain: www.thenationalnews.com
The European Commission on Wednesday announced a proposal to improve Europe’s AI self-reliance and raise data centre capacity to 65GW within the next decade.
The sovereignty proposal would cut Europe’s dependence on foreign technology as it seeks to catch up with the US. Among the commission’s proposals is beefing up the cybersecurity of critical devices such as solar power installations. The proposal would include €200 billion ($232 billion) of private sector investment.
“We cannot afford to depend on others for the technologies that keep our hospitals running, our energy grids stable and our services secure,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “This is about protecting our citizens, defending our interests and making our own choices.”
“Those who champion technological innovation will shape the future, and we must ensure that Europe plays a leading role in this,” European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkunnen said.
Non-Europeans excluded
For critical public contracts, companies will be required to ensure that software and hardware are made in the EU, excluding non-European countries from controlling data and services.
“Of course, this is not a very big part of our services but in very critical fields like defence for example, it is important that the technology is controlled by Europeans from Europe and also (that) data is staying here,” Ms Virkkunen said.
The proposal also seeks to double the EU’s global market share of semiconductors to 20 per cent by 2030 at an estimated cost of €120 billion.
Europe remains structurally reliant on non-EU providers for more than 80 per cent of its digital products, services, infrastructure and intellectual property.
“It is the result of decades of decisions: borrowing more than building; adopting faster than developing; and consuming more than creating, and this has to change,” Ms Virkunnen said.
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