The upcoming “Summit for European Digital Sovereignty” in Berlin is prompting a renewed push from within Germany’s major political factions – the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) – for a decisive challenge to the overwhelming dominance of US-based cloud and software providers. The sentiment underscores a growing anxiety over Europe’s strategic vulnerability and its capacity for independent innovation.
Johannes Schätzl, parliamentary spokesperson for the SPD within the Bundestag’s Digital Committee, articulated the urgency in an interview with “Handelsblatt”. He argued that Europe’s competitiveness hinges upon intensified collaboration, targeted investment and the aggressive scaling of homegrown solutions. “We cannot permanently rely on China and the United States; we must shape our digital future ourselves” he stated, highlighting the increasingly geopolitical significance of hardware and software.
This perspective is echoed within the Bundesdigitalministerium (Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs), where Parliamentary State Secretary Thomas Jarzombek (CDU) acknowledged the inherent risks associated with “one-sided dependencies”. While recognizing that procurement decisions primarily reside with individual companies, Jarzombek suggested that a significant portion of the demand for cloud solutions could be met by German AI startups and the broader IT Mittelstand (small and medium-sized enterprises). Critically, this signals a potential shift in procurement strategies within the German government and potentially across the EU.
However, the push for digital sovereignty isn’t viewed as a path to isolation. Hansjörg Durz, Chairman of the Bundestag’s Digital Committee, cautioned against protectionist measures, emphasizing that true digital sovereignty requires “coordinated collaboration across all levels and national borders”. Durz stressed the need for a “pragmatic cloud usage with European security standards” alongside a “systematic expansion of sovereign European alternatives” suggesting a nuanced approach that balances the need for independence with the realities of a globalized economy.
The summit is expected to generate substantial debate on how best to achieve these goals, with questions arising about the allocation of resources, the structuring of incentives for European tech firms and the potential for friction with the United States, a key economic and security partner. The true test will be whether the summit translates into concrete action that moves beyond rhetoric and meaningfully shifts the balance of power in the digital realm.