European leaders advance coordinated push for digital sovereignty at Berlin summit
Europe is intensifying its drive for digital independence as France and Germany introduce a joint roadmap focused on regulatory simplification, data sovereignty, fairer digital markets, and frontier AI. The Berlin summit also launched the European Network for Technological Resilience and Sovereignty (ETRS), a new expert coalition aimed at reducing reliance on foreign technologies.
France and Germany used the Berlin Summit on European Digital Sovereignty to outline a coordinated plan to strengthen Europe’s autonomy in key digital sectors. Their joint roadmap identifies seven priority areas where the EU must reduce dependencies, modernise its regulatory framework, and build long-term technological capacity. The agenda includes simplifying digital regulation, postponing the enforcement of certain AI Act high-risk obligations for 12 months, and examining targeted updates to the GDPR to ease unnecessary administrative burdens. Other elements focus on fairer cloud and digital markets, stronger safeguards for sensitive data, and the adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies aligned with cybersecurity rules.
The roadmap also emphasises developing digital commons and public infrastructure, including expanding the European Digital Identity Wallet and increasing the use of open-source tools in public administrations. A new Franco-German Digital Sovereignty Task Force will begin defining measurable indicators and deliver concrete policy recommendations by 2026. The two governments also highlighted frontier AI as a strategic area where Europe needs both regulatory clarity and a more competitive innovation environment. Alongside the political commitments, private-sector actors pledged more than €12 billion in investment across critical digital technologies.
A significant outcome of the summit was the launch of the European Network for Technological Resilience and Sovereignty (ETRS), a coalition of research institutes and policy organisations aiming to support evidence-based approaches to digital independence. Founding members include Bertelsmann Stiftung in Germany, CEPS in Belgium, the AI & Society Institute in France, and the Polish Economic Institute. The network will coordinate research, map technology dependencies, and convene expert workshops from 2026 onward. It is open to new members, with more than a dozen already joining. According to the ETRS, the EU currently relies on the United States and China for over 80 percent of its essential digital technologies, including cloud services, AI, and semiconductors. That reliance underscores the rationale behind the Berlin summit: Europe wants to be not only a regulator of global digital markets but also an active developer of the technologies that shape them.
