Digital Sovereignty: a crucial pillar for EU’s digitalisation and growth

The EESC:

• believes that EU's heavy reliance on non-EU-based tech companies is limiting its leadership and strategic autonomy in the digital world, and in turn limiting its economic growth potential.

• is of the view that the EU needs to reduce its dependency on non-EU tech giants by doubling its efforts to develop a secure, inclusive and values-based digital economy capable of competing with non-EU tech giants and placing emphasis on reliable connectivity, data security and artificial intelligence.

• calls for investment in the digital sector to be directed towards an open strategic autonomy in the digital economy. This should include investing in digital capacities, education and vocational training, infrastructure and technologies.

• calls for renewed efforts for public-private partnerships in digital technologies to be set up and for large-scale EU research in the field of new technologies to be supported.

• calls on the Commission to move ahead with its digital regulatory framework aimed at protecting EU citizens from the excesses of the digital world.

• considers it important to make online platforms, ecosystems and online activities more open, fair and predictable with rules covering algorithm transparency and neutrality.

• supports calls for the EU to develop a cloud and data infrastructure to build its digital sovereignty.

• calls for competition and consumer protection policies in the Single Market to be updated. This should also focus on distortive practices of non-EU tech companies as well as the growing influence of Chinese digital companies in the EU.