Open but Not Powerless: Towards a Common Understanding of EU Digital Sovereignty

JRC Policy Brief: “…outlines the EU’s strategic imperative to assert digital sovereignty while remaining open to global collaboration. Defined as the EU’s capacity to exercise strategic independence in the digital domain—encompassing data governance, infrastructure control, and innovation—digital sovereignty aims to reduce vulnerabilities in economic, security, and technological spheres. The brief emphasizes that this does not equate to isolation or protectionism but rather to strengthening EU competencies in critical areas such as semiconductors, cloud services, and AI, while aligning with democratic values like transparency and the rule of law. A multi-layered framework is proposed, structured across four interlinked dimensions: (1) Digital Governance, focusing on regulatory frameworks and international influence; (2) Digital Infrastructures, Software, and Data, emphasizing secure connectivity, cybersecurity, and data ecosystems; (3) Digital Products and Markets, addressing industrial competitiveness and fair competition; and (4) People, highlighting the need for digital literacy and citizen empowerment. The brief underscores both opportunities (e.g., EU-led initiatives like the Digital Services Act and EuroStack) and risks, including structural dependencies on non-EU providers, fragmented national strategies, and gaps in digital skills…(More)”.