The European Commission on June 3 outlined a technology sovereignty package that targets semiconductors, cloud services, data centers and artificial intelligence, the latest effort by the European Union to reduce its reliance on non-EU technology companies. The proposals, which the Commission described as a “tech sovereignty package,” follow growing unease within the bloc about dependence on U.S. and other foreign firms for critical digital infrastructure.
In a statement accompanying the announcement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the measures are necessary to protect essential services. “We cannot afford to depend on others for the technologies that keep our hospitals running, our energy grids stable and our services secure,” von der Leyen said. “This is about protecting our citizens, defending our interests and making our own choices.”
The package must be negotiated by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union before it can take effect, a process that typically takes months or longer. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the proposal, said the Commission’s push has been accelerated by trade and geopolitical tensions between the EU and the administration of President Donald Trump during his second term.
The EU has been working to bolster its technological independence across multiple fronts. In February, EU leaders agreed on a broad plan to restructure the bloc’s economy amid pressure from Russia, China and the Trump administration. France earlier this year moved to drop reliance on U.S.-based video conferencing platforms Zoom and Teams, as European governments pressed for greater digital sovereignty.
The Commission’s new proposals represent the most detailed set of measures yet targeting the full stack of technology infrastructure, from chip manufacturing to cloud storage to AI development. The outcome of the legislative process in Brussels will determine how quickly the EU can reduce dependence on tech giants such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and U.S. semiconductor manufacturers.