Digital sovereignty – what is it for and what should it be for?

In the EU, ‘digital sovereignty’ has been put forward as a response to a range of issues related to technology: from data governance to big tech power, and digital infrastructures. From the beginning, the concept lacked a clear definition but seemed to revolve around Europe’s ability ‘to make its own choices, based on its values, respecting its own rules’ (Ursula von der Leyen, 2020). It also seemed to be about ‘fostering [Europe’s] growing digital infrastructure and economy, while making sure the continent’s core democratic values also apply in the digital age’ (German Presidency of the Council of the European Union, 2020). As a result, the term implied the need to protect Europe’s autonomy in order to safeguard and advance its values. However, since the Draghi report, which emphasised the EU’s need to prioritise innovation, the term has taken on a more economic focus: digital sovereignty is often mentioned together with Europe’s need to be competitive, and seems to be about economic protectionism and the need to shield against geopolitical tensions.

This contribution aims to critically reflect on the above notions of digital sovereignty and raise questions about the visions of European society and technology that are being put forward. In particular, it raises questions about what this economic focus means for protecting European values, especially given the recent efforts to simplify legal obligations in relation to data protection. Can current understandings of digital sovereignty help orient technology policy and law towards the protection of European values like democracy and human rights? Moreover, autonomy, framed as the absence of influence or dependencies, seems to remain important, but what positive goals it is meant to advance, and how? 

Part of panel Digitalization as sphere transgression - part 1.