European tech sovereignty requires digital leverage, not self-sufficiency

[BERLIN] On Nov 18, Berlin hosted the first Summit on European Digital Sovereignty. France and Germany used the occasion to unveil a set of new initiatives aimed at strengthening data protection, developing cloud markets and advancing so-called frontier artificial intelligence (AI), alongside 12 billion euros (S$18.1 billion) in promised private investment.

But despite its ambitious agenda, the summit still mischaracterised sovereignty as a question of capacity – how much infrastructure Europe can build – rather than control.

While European policymakers continue to insist that digital sovereignty is about self-sufficiency, infrastructure alone does not bring real power. For starters, it is costly to build and often fails to change who controls digital systems.