.The European Union today unveiled its plan to reduce its reliance on US and overseas tech providers to power its economy, saying its proposals were about “making our own choices”.
Dubbed the “European Technological Sovereignty Package”, the proposals, unveiled by the European Commission, are aimed at strengthening the bloc’s capabilities in AI, semiconductors, cloud computing and open source tech.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “We cannot afford to depend on others for the technologies that keep our hospitals running, our energy grids stable and our services secure. This is about protecting our citizens, defending our interests and making our own choices. Europe has the talent, the research excellence, the industrial base and the Single Market. Together, we must turn these strengths into technological sovereignty.”
The issue of EU tech independence is a hot-button issue, as the bloc plays catch-up to the US and China. The issue has become more pronounced amid at times volatile relations between the EU and US under President Trump.
The new proposals could inflame relations with the US, which views EU tech laws as protectionist measures which unfairly penalise US tech firms.
The EU Commission said the proposals represent a “major shift” in the EU’s approach to technology, saying they support Europe's ambition “to become an AI continent, strengthen its digital autonomy and help build a more sustainable digital future”.
A key plank of the package is a proposed "Cloud and AI Development Act", which aims to triple data centre capacity in Europe over the next five to seven years.
The proposal introduces sovereignty requirements for cloud providers in sensitive sectors including banking, energy and healthcare.
Another legislative proposal is on chips, which will look to boost demand for EU-made chips.
The proposal is aimed to “speed up permitting, deepen cooperation with like-minded partners and introduce a new excellence label for Europe's semiconductor regions”.
The package also includes a move for the public sector to use more open-source tech and plans to ensure that data centres are integrated in a “sustainable and transparent manner”.
The proposals will now be scrutinised by the bloc’s governments and the European Parliament for negotiations.
The Tony Blair Institute’s director of science & technology, Keegan McBride, said: “This package is an important step - in the age of AI, access to computing power, energy, talent and digital infrastructure will determine which countries prosper. But a full retreat into a Europe-first tech approach will leave the continent weaker. Europe can’t regulate its way to competitiveness; it must build. Many of the recommendations set out in the Draghi Report remain unimplemented, and there’s still much more to do if Europe wants to close the gap with the US and China."
Matthew Hodgson, co-founder of open source project Matrix, said: “Europe has been moving towards digital sovereignty for some time, and today’s Tech Sovereignty package is another milestone on that journey. The EU Open Source Strategy is a smart move in helping to ensure sovereignty, and it highlights the need for improved public procurement of open source solutions, better governance frameworks and support for sustainable open source business models to help combat freeriding."
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