Henna Virkkunen explains that technological sovereignty involves eliminating hazardous dependencies and enhancing European capabilities in domains ranging from semiconductor supply chains to cloud infrastructure.

The EU’s digital commissioner shared with Euronews that the frequently discussed notion of «technological sovereignty» refers to fostering capacities in essential sectors while minimizing precarious dependencies, rather than isolating from global cooperation.

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«Technological sovereignty doesn’t imply plans to operate independently or in isolation in the future,» stated Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy.

«Possessing a certain degree of capability in a critical domain is essential. At the same time, collaboration with like-minded partners continues to ensure avoidance of risky dependencies and prevent overreliance on a single company or solution,» she emphasized.

The idea of tech sovereignty has sparked debate among EU member states and industry players, especially regarding the extent of openness the bloc should maintain towards foreign enterprises from allied nations such as the US and the UK.

Virkkunen stresses that the objective is not protectionism, but rather to develop alternatives addressing critical vulnerabilities within essential supply chains, starting with steering public procurement towards European providers.

The Commission is advancing legislative initiatives to reinforce the durability of semiconductor supply systems and cloud platforms, with the aim of elevating Europe’s position in the global competition to advance AI technologies.

«Enhancing Europe’s indigenous technological capabilities is closely linked to public procurement, given that government and public sectors represent significant consumers of ICT services,» Virkkunen concluded.