European pols wave their hands about digital sovereignty with broad but vague plan

One Dutch developer called it a 'nothingburger'

European leaders on Thursday announced an International Digital Strategy designed to help the bloc address technological change at a time of global political realignment.

"We are living through a profound digital revolution that is reshaping economies and societies worldwide,” said Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, in a speech delivered in Brussels. "This is happening in a geopolitical landscape that is more challenging than before."

Among those challenges is the second Trump administration’s policies such as tariff policies and a negotiating style that’s less nuanced than conventional diplomatic conversation among allies.

Washington’s new approach has prompted Europeans to question the wisdom of their dependency on US cloud service providers and technology platforms. Those worries have prompted US cloud hyperscalers AWS, Google, and Microsoft to try and calm concerns about data sovereignty. Those commitments, however, have yet to be tested against a transactional administration that has demonstrated its willingness to ignore court orders.

Virkkunen addressed current global instability and uncertainty by promoting Europe as the embodiment of calm and reason. "In this environment, the EU is stepping forward as a stable and reliable partner, deeply committed to digital cooperation with our allies and partners," she said.

Shortly thereafter, journalists attending the press conference sought clarification about whether the European Commission still considers the US one of those partners.

Virkkunen responded by describing the US as a past partner while highlighting other countries in the context of the International Digital Strategy.

"When it comes to [the] USA, of course, USA has been our most important strategic partner when it comes to security and economics for a long time, and we know that USA tech companies, of course, they are playing a very important role in our economy and in our society in the European Union," she said.

Virkkunen went on to note that Europe is one of the biggest markets for US tech companies and that Europe is open for business – even as it affirms laws like the Digital Markets Act that make US tech firms bristle and aims to develop competitive technical capacity in areas like AI, quantum, and semiconductors.

When Virkkunen discussed the partners Europe has engaged, she did not highlight the US.

"In this strategy that we want to cooperate with like-minded partners all over the world and currently we have digital partnerships with Japan and Korea and Singapore and Canada and we are very closely working with them in these sectors," she said, adding that Europe has engaged with the US and India through Trade and Technology Councils.

The Joint Communication document detailing Europe’s strategy doesn’t mention China. That's notable as European auto suppliers recently sounded the alarm over China's recent export restrictions on rare earth elements, which has disrupted the European automotive supply chain.

Asked about this, Virkkunen offered reassurance that the EU is engaged in high-level dialogue with China about relevant technology issues. She also pointed to the EU-China Summit scheduled to take place this northern summer.

What’s the plan?

The International Digital Strategy focuses on three areas:

• Boost the EU's tech competitiveness through economic and business cooperation;
• Promote a high level of security for the EU and its partners;
• Shape global digital governance and standards with a network of partners.

Governance standards remain something of a moving target. There's talk of revisiting Europe's General Data Protection Regulation to make it less burdensome for business, a possibility that privacy rights groups oppose. The European Commission has proposed weakening encryption, again to the consternation of civil society groups. And European Members of Parliament last year warned about democratic backsliding in the EU that threatens to erode fundamental rights.

The International Digital Strategy covers a broad swath of technologies chosen to reflect European concerns about the implications of ongoing advancements in AI, which as of last month received its own action plan. Beyond quantum computing and semiconductor manufacturing, the EU strategy also touches on telecom (5G/6G networking), cybersecurity, foreign information manipulation and interference, digital identities and digital public infrastructure, and online platforms.

Strategy, schmategy

The plan is more aspirational than practical. Analysts and even, reportedly, the European Commission itself believe that freeing Europe from dependency on US cloud service providers is unrealistic any time soon.

"Europe has huge potential to expand its geopolitical reach on digital issues, and today we set out a clear vision to do just that," said Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, in a statement. "We are ready to collaborate more closely with partners on shared digital challenges while remaining committed to individual rights and freedoms that are essential for effective global digital governance."

Not all share Kallas’s view that the strategy articulates a clear vision.

"This appears to say nothing, and they publish this at a time when actually saying something real would be very welcome," Bert Hubert, an entrepreneur, software developer, and part-time technical advisor to the Dutch Electoral Council, told The Register. "It is rather sad that they do this right now. Just not publishing something would be a lot better than this nothingburger.

"It really indicates they have nothing more substantial to say right now." ®