Securing Europe's Digital Future: Building Technological Sovereignty From Within

The European Union’s ambition to lead the global digital transformation is undercut by its continued dependence on foreign technologies, leaving Europe more often as a taker rather than a driver of technological change. The EU’s digital stack— from raw materials and chips to cloud infrastructure and applications—is largely outsourced, leaving the bloc exposed to over-dependence, economic coercion, cyber vulnerabilities, and normative conflicts with both the United States and China. To secure its digital economic security and global competitiveness, the EU must shift its strategy: rather than merely regulating digital spaces, it must invest in becoming indispensable in key technological layers. This policy brief proposes a two-pillar strategy