Against a backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions and growing dependencies on foreign tech actors, the question of digital autonomy and sovereignty has become increasingly urgent. Recent initiatives — from the Eurostack report to the ReArm Europe Plan — reflect a renewed ambition to strengthen Europe’s autonomy in strategic digital sectors, such as AI, semiconductors, cloud, and digital computing infrastructure.
Europe is not starting from scratch. The European Commission has already launched several flagship initiatives to boost innovation and strengthen its technological autonomy. The AI Continent Action Plan, introduced in April 2025, aims to position Europe as a global leader in AI. Focused on developing trustworthy AI, the Action Plan seeks to harness the technology’s potential across various sectors. It outlines key actions to build large-scale AI data and computing infrastructures, expand access to high-quality data, foster AI adoption in strategic industries, enhance AI skills and talent, and facilitate the implementation of the AI Act. Notable components include the establishment of AI Factories and Gigafactories, the InvestAI Facility to stimulate private investment, and the launch of the AI Skills Academy.
In parallel, the EU Quantum Strategy and forthcoming Quantum Act aim to build a competitive ecosystem in quantum technologies, with applications across science and industry. Meanwhile, the EU Cloud and AI Development Acts, expected in late 2025, will tackle critical capacity gaps in cloud and edge infrastructure to ensure AI training and deployment remain sovereign and scalable in Europe. These build on the foundations laid by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, which coordinate efforts and pools resources across Member States to make Europe a world leader in high-performance computing infrastructure and capabilities, both at the level of scientific research and industrial strength.
As part of the broader set of webinars on the Digital Decade, this session aims to foster a discussion around European digital sovereignty ahead of the 2025 edition of the State of the Digital Decade Report by asking:
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What are some of the proposals to ensure the EU works towards a digital strategy that strengthens its own digital strategic autonomy?
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How is this relevant to the EU’s Digital Decade Policy Programme?
Through expert contributions, the session will explore:
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The strategic implications of Europe's growing digital dependencies;
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Policy proposals to boost digital resilience, economic security and strategic autonomy;
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How to better align the Digital Decade with Europe’s broader geopolitical, industrial and security priorities.
Agenda
PART I
A) The DDPP & the Digital Decade Policy Report: A call for EU Sovereignty and Resilience
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Eric Peters, Acting Head of Unit, Unit B2, DG CONNECT
B): The EU’s support to sovereign, open-source technologies
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Fabrizia Benini, Head of Unit, Unit E3, DG CONNECT
PART II: Digital Sovereignty
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Prof. Dr. Paul Timmers, Visiting Prof KU Leuven, Adjunct Prof European University Cyprus, Rijeka University, Chair Supervisory Board eGovernance Academy, CERRE Research Fellow, CEO iivii BV, partner @WeltWert, former Director European Commission
PART III: The Eurostack Report – ‘A European Alternative for Digital Sovereignty’
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Prof. Dr. Francesca Bria, Innovation Economist, Digital Policy Expert; Fellow at Stiftung Mercator; Professor at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (London)