International Digital Strategy: EU needs to slash tech dependencies to stay globally relevant
-
The Commission published today its new International Digital Strategy recognising that growing Europe’s digital sector is a must to close the continent’s productivity gap and to remain globally relevant.
-
The Strategy is a wake-up call against the risks of technological and economic dependence: The Commission underscores that Europe should reduce its technological dependencies, warning that these vulnerabilities could be weaponised.
-
A competitive Tech Business Offer starts with technologies made in Europe: The Strategy announces the development of an integrated business Offer combining technological layers – connectivity, Digital Public Infrastructure, AI and software solutions – in a modular approach. In this way, the EC wants to create a package of mutual benefits with partner countries.
Today’s International Digital Strategy is a critical step for the EU to break free from detrimental dependencies and prioritise diversification. Crucially, it recognises that “those who are late in embracing [digital technologies] risk […] undermining their sovereignty.” The strategy outlines the right ambition: strengthening Europe’s global role in tech, reducing dependencies, and building trusted digital partnerships.
As the Strategy acknowledges, Europe needs to treat tech sovereignty as a strategic imperative. This is essential, as stressed in the Strategy, to avoid “weaponisation of its technological and economic dependencies and risk of critical technology leakage.”
Further, the Strategy announces the development of an “integrated Tech Business Offer” to partner countries with a modular approach that will combine made-in-Europe technological components to form a package of mutual benefits.
That is a clear call for the EU to build a homegrown technological stack. To compete globally and offer credible alternatives to dominant tech providers, Europe needs an integrated, sovereign digital stack spanning hardware, software, and services. The Strategy is a strong signal, made even stronger by the timing. Just this week, the European Parliament’s ITRE Committee adopted its own-initiative report on technological sovereignty, which explicitly backs the development of a European Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as the foundation for a sovereign, open, and competitive digital ecosystem. The fact that today’s Strategy echoes this momentum and announces forthcoming actions on secure DPI marks a major breakthrough for Europe’s tech agenda – and shows that EU institutions are now firmly aligned on advancing digital sovereignty as a strategic priority.
