A new report has been published by EIT Digital providing a scenario-based framework for the development of digital infrastructure and data policy instruments to strengthen European digital sovereignty.
The latest policy perspective report by EIT Digital is providing a scenario-based framework for the development of digital infrastructure and data policy instruments to strengthen the European digital space. The report provides an overview of trends, instruments, policy recommendations and the roles of various actors in defining the future of Europe’s digital sovereignty. The study supports the development of policies that aim at strengthening European sovereignty in digital infrastructures and the handling of data. The report is the fruit of a collaboration between EIT Digital with the Digital Enlightenment Forum
The report highlights that the COVID-19 crisis showed the lack of European digital sovereignty. An example is the struggle with COVID-19 tracing apps for which European countries had to adapt their contact tracing approaches and applications to solutions provided by foreign tech companies. These non-EU companies have oligopolistic access to valuable user data and the access to this large amount of data results in the faster improvements of their algorithms. According to the report, this can form a barrier to European innovation and in addition, be an obstacle to achieve European digital sovereignty. The disruptions of supply chains also displayed Europe’s reliance on foreign companies from China and the United States.
Digital infrastructure control and data regulation are complementary and can be combined in various ways leading to different scenarios without the need for a trade-off. The report presents a framework of policy choices, based on four scenarios that combine approaches from soft to firm infrastructure control with weak to strong data protection. These scenarios are assessed with respect to the impact on the policy objectives growth, innovation potential, citizens’ trust, fairness, and level playing field. The analysis showed that long-term growth is best achieved in scenarios where the interest of all stakeholders are balanced and taken into account. The digital world is constantly evolving and this causes a problem for lawmakers in the pursuit of effective legislation. The focus should lay on the protection of the rights of citizens and businesses through a combination of regulation and dynamic interaction between all stakeholders. The analysis found in the report serves as a guide for policy developments that will contribute to stronger European sovereignty, and aims at providing an important tool for the development of digital infrastructure and data policy instruments.
The EIT report calls upon a closer collaboration between the European Commission and Member States to connect the public and private sector. This connection is deemed crucial to create the right policy instruments for a sovereign Europe in the digital world that promotes innovation whilst respecting European values creating equal economic opportunity for all actors. From a broader perspective, digital sovereignty will be a strong focus of the upcoming German Presidency, and ‘tech sovereignty’ has gained greater significance among the European Commission and EU leaders.