On Wednesday 13 May, the Democratic Tech Alliance (DTA) held its first Assembly, bringing together a coalition of Members of the European Parliament, the European DIGITAL SME Alliance as industry representative, and civil society stakeholders with a common ambition: building a more democratic and sovereign model of technology for Europe. One that respects European values, safeguards the integrity of European citizens, and strengthens the foundations on which European public infrastructure relies.

The initiative brings together Members of the European Parliament from Renew Europe, EPP, S&D and The Greens/EFA political groups, including Alex Agius Saliba, Alexandra Geese, Michał Kobosko, Axel Voss, Sergey Lagodinsky, Matthias Ecke, Christel Schaldemose, Helmut Brandstätter, Irena Joveva, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Michael McNamara, Kim Van Sparrentak and Elena Sancho Murillo, signalling that concern over dependence on non-EU technology has become a cross-party strategic priority.

Today, Europe’s critical digital infrastructure rests on a precarious foundation: public institutions, healthcare systems, electoral processes, and communications networks rely overwhelmingly on technology produced outside the EU. In a period of acute geopolitical turmoil, this represents a major risk. The data flows that pass through these systems constitute a strategic resource of today’s economy: control over infrastructure implies control over data, and control over data implies power. Among the various examples, European electoral campaigns are largely conducted on social media platforms owned and operated outside Europe’s legal reach. When democratic processes rely on tools beyond Europe’s control, the status quo becomes fragile.

The European DIGITAL SME Alliance is a founding member of the Democratic Tech Alliance. Its participation reflects the belief that policy ambition and industry capability must go hand in hand to deliver results that work for European providers. The European tech sector is largely populated by small and medium enterprises, and many of them already offer competitive alternatives to the big tech products on which Europe currently depends. A clear example is given by the Tech Sovereignty Catalogue, a practical tool showcasing ready-to-use European solutions that helps public and private buyers navigate available sovereign products and fosters collaboration among European providers.

Last week’s DTA Assembly marked the first strategic working session, aligning members on objectives, work plan, policy engagement and communications. A panel discussion organised by DIGITAL SME took place in the afternoon, opened by a keynote from MEP Alexandra Geese, who later joined the exchange alongside Kasia Toczko (SIMPLITO AI), Martin Hullin (European Network for Technological Resilience and Sovereignty), and Laurent Rojey (Digital Commons EDIC). The session reviewed the current state of Europe’s democratic tech ecosystem, spanning sovereign cloud infrastructure, collaboration tools, and digital commons, and assessed what is required to scale these solutions. It highlighted the need to reinforce European control over critical digital infrastructure and convert EU budgetary and procurement frameworks into demand for European technology.

The task ahead is to move into practice: shaping a new generation of EU policies that strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy through the uptake of homegrown alternatives and build a more democratic model of technology. Achieving this requires sustained collaboration between industry and policymakers, and the Democratic Tech Alliance provides a structured framework for that cooperation.