London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

Finally, better later than never: France's Macron lays out a vision for European 'digital sovereignty'

Finally, better later than never: France's Macron lays out a vision for European 'digital sovereignty'

French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe needs "European solutions" to reduce its dependence on U.S. tech giants. He outlined a number of steps for the Continent to reach “digital sovereignty,” an integral concept in new EU tech reforms. The EU is soon set to unveil groundbreaking new rules governing digital markets and services.
Finally Europe wake up, 20 years late but never too late:

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said that Europe must preserve its “digital sovereignty,” outlining a number of steps aimed at reducing its dependence on U.S. technology giants.

Although U.S. digital platforms contributed to a “big transformation” in society following the coronavirus outbreak, there needs to be a “European solution and European sovereignty” when it comes to tech, Macron said.

“We need European financing, European solutions, European talents, European regulations,” Macron said in a conversation with Niklas Zennstrom, the Swedish billionaire who co-founded Skype.

“We have regulation ... but we don’t have the equivalent of these very, very large caps,” Macron added, referring to highly valued technology companies in the U.S. like Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.

France’s leader outlined three requirements for Europe to achieve such a digital sovereignty strategy. They include:

* More European Union integration on things like start-up financing.

* A “digital single market” promoting privacy and tech innovation.

* European cloud and data solutions to reduce reliance on U.S. firms.

* Digital sovereignty has become an integral concept in the EU’s bid to become a global tech powerhouse, fighting back against the dominance of large American tech companies.

The bloc is soon set to unveil groundbreaking new rules governing digital markets and services which could hold significant consequences for U.S. giants like Google and Facebook.

Meanwhile, the European Commission, Germany and France are working on an initiative aimed at reducing reliance on U.S. and Chinese cloud giants. Called Gaia-X, the project aims to develop a new framework for data infrastructure in Europe — essentially blueprints for a future European cloud provider.

Atomico, Zennstrom’s venture capital firm, released a report Tuesday showing that Europe’s tech sector was on track to win more than $41 billion of start-up investment in 2020. It also highlighted challenges around raising growth funding and making tech more diverse.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×