The European Parliament backed this Thursday a push for more European technological sovereignty. The MEPs called for major investments, regulatory reforms and the development of European digital infrastructure to reduce dependence on foreign actors.
The report “European technological sovereignty and digital infrastructure” was adopted with 471 votes in favour, 68 against and 71 abstentions. It endorses an own-initiative report from Parliament’s ITRE (Industry, Research and Energy) Committee and urges the Commission to move faster on strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy in areas such as cloud computing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
In a social media post following the vote, rapporteur MEP Sarah Knafo (ESN/FRA) said the text retained her key findings, notably on public procurement and the need to shield European digital infrastructure. However, she regretted that some of the report’s original ambitions had been softened during negotiations with other political groups.
Fewer industrial dependencies
Lawmakers argue that the Union’s industrial ambitions should focus on strategic technologies essential to the green, digital and defence transitions. This includes semiconductors, quantum technologies and advanced connectivity, which the report classifies as central to the EU’s open strategic autonomy.
The text underlines the scale of Europe’s technological dependence. It notes that “92 % of the West’s data are stored in the USA” and that “69 % of Europe’s cloud market share is held by US companies compared to 13 % by European companies”, exposing EU data to extraterritorial legislation.
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It also highlights Europe’s lag in artificial intelligence investment. As it can be read, “the Union accounts for only seven per cent of global investment in artificial intelligence (AI), well below the USA (40 %) and China (32 %)”. Lawmakers warn that this gap risks locking the EU into long-term technological dependence.
Home-based providers
Another central pillar of the document is the call to take the lead in building a European public digital infrastructure. The report stresses that “public procurement is a strategic tool for supporting research and development (R&D) and European stakeholders in key sectors such as cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, AI, semiconductors and communication infrastructure”. MEPs call on the Commission to present a detailed plan and to select technologies best suited for coordinated European action.
MEPs envision layered digital foundations spanning semiconductors, connectivity, cloud infrastructure, software, data and AI. According to the text, these systems should rely on open standards and decentralised governance models. The goal is to avoid centralised control by either governments or private companies. Interoperability, privacy and security by default are identified as core design principles.
The report links technological sovereignty directly to the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework. Lawmakers want additional funding, arguing that “by scattering small public subsidies among too many different projects, the EU does not enable any of them to reach a genuine critical mass”.
Money talks
Therefore, the text recommends reforms to enable private capital to play a greater role. This includes measures such as easing regulatory constraints on pension funds and life insurers investing in strategic technologies.
In an amendment, MEPs also condemn and call for the cancellation of the travel bans imposed by the United States. This affects civil society figures and former European Commissioner Thierry Breton. Such actions came as a retaliation by the US administration against the fine imposed on X under the Digital Services Act. The lawmakers call on the Commission and member states to “deliver a firm response to these unprecedented attacks”.
