In July 2025, the question of EU 2025 digital sovereignty has become a central issue in the corridors of Brussels. The European Union, which has long lagged behind on digital issues, is now stepping up initiatives to assert its strategic autonomy in a sector dominated by the American GAFAMs and Chinese giants. The many summits organised this month bear witness to this: Europe wants to regain control of its infrastructures, its data and its digital future.
The European Union and the digital emergency: what are the solutions to overcome dependency?
The return of Donald Trump to the US presidency, rising tensions with China, and a series of massive cyber attacks on European hospitals in the spring have precipitated a European wake-up call. A massive leak of medical data in Germany and the disruption of Slovenia’s fibre network by malware of unknown origin finally alarmed decision-makers.
The publication of the European Commission’s report on digital literacy (June 2025) sounds a warning. Europe remains largely dependent on foreign technologies: cloud, chips, digital platforms, AI… In all these areas, autonomy is still a mirage.
A seven-point plan for practical digital sovereignty
This is why the Digital Sovereignty Summit in July 2025 laid the foundations for a turning point. Meeting in Brussels from 14 to 18 July, the Member States, the Commission and MEPs debated 67 concrete proposals. Here are the main ones:
- Sovereign digital infrastructure: investment in European fibre, data centres and 6G networks, with a preference for European suppliers.
- Strengthening the sovereign cloud: speeding up GAIA-X and funding local cloud start-ups to move away from dependence on Amazon or Microsoft.
- Enhanced cyber security: €1.3 billion injected into European cyber security between now and 2027, with priority given to hospitals, schools and transport networks.
- European Chips Act: support for semiconductor production in Europe, with a new plant announced in Slovakia.
- Digital relocation: in public tenders, priority should be given to European solutions, particularly for government software.
- Research and innovation: increased budget for the Digital Europe Programme andHorizon Europe to support AI, quantum and disruptive technologies.
- Ethical regulatory framework: tighter regulation ofartificial intelligence, supervision of algorithms, protection and portability of strategic data.
A warning from the European Left: no sovereignty without social ethics
While the political will seems to be shared by all the parliamentary groups, the European radical left and in particular The Left are calling for more to be done. For them, digital sovereignty must not be a simple “Buy European Act”, but a democratic, transparent, social and ethical project.
Manon Aubry, co-chair of the group, reminded Parliament that “sovereignty only makes sense if it benefits citizens, not lobbies or private giants”. She called for a ban on the export of surveillance technologies, the promotion of free software, and stronger safeguards against mass surveillance.
Member States still divided
Despite an apparent consensus, the Member States remain divided. France and Germany are forming a strong alliance around the sovereign cloud andstrategic digital autonomy, while the Netherlands and the Baltic States are concerned that overly restrictive regulation could put the brakes on innovation.
Regional coalitions are being formed to co-finance strategic projects. The European Sovereign Digital Infrastructure Fund, with a budget of €6 billion, has been announced for the autumn.
The November summit, the last turn before action
All eyes are now on the European Digital Summit scheduled for November 2025, where the proposals will have to be translated into legislation. This will be the moment of truth:will Europe move from words to deeds?
The stated objective is clear: to achieve real digital sovereignty by 2030, based on European technologies, ethical governance and democratic transparency.
