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Have you heard about the term “digital sovereignty” but wondered what this means in practice? We would like to shed light on this widely used term, and help to produce concrete actions to make it a reality.

What do we mean by digital sovereignty? Many different definitions have been proposed. European Commission President von der Leyen refers to “mastery and ownership of key technologies in Europe” in a speech at the European Parliament (27 November 2019). The European Parliament Research Service defines ‘digital sovereignty’ as Europe’s ability to act independently in the digital world. In our understanding, digital sovereignty is not about protectionism. On the contrary, a strong and confident digital ecosystem in Europe can contribute to global competition and helps to avoid protectionist tendencies at home.

At our 2021 General Assembly, we presented a new White Paper on Digital Sovereignty, which, for the first time, lays out a comprehensive definition of digital sovereignty along the whole technology stack: (1) hardware, (2) software, (3) services. But we will not stop there. We showcased European companies that contribute to the development of innovative digital solutions that enhance user choice for a more sustainable digital transformation. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) building the technology solutions for our digital economy and society have their own approach and views on digital sovereignty.