About this book:

*Digital Sovereignty: Europe’s Strategy for Tech, Data and Regulation* provides a comprehensive overview of the European Union’s multifaceted approach to achieving technological autonomy. The book defines digital sovereignty not as isolationism, but as the capacity for European individuals, businesses, and governments to exercise agency over their digital futures. It details the EU’s "policy toolbox"—a combination of binding regulations like the GDPR, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and the Digital Services Act (DSA)—which collectively aim to protect fundamental rights, ensure fair market competition, and hold global platforms accountable to democratic norms.

The narrative explores the shift from purely protective data privacy measures to proactive data governance, highlighted by the creation of "Common European Data Spaces" and federated cloud architectures like Gaia-X. By moving toward a decentralized, interoperable infrastructure, the EU seeks to reduce its strategic dependency on non-European "hyperscalers." This structural ambition is complemented by aggressive industrial policies, such as the European Chips Act, which aims to secure supply chains and bolster domestic manufacturing of semiconductors and other critical hardware.

A significant portion of the text focuses on the "Brussels Effect," where European regulatory standards—specifically regarding Artificial Intelligence (the AI Act) and cybersecurity (NIS2)—become global benchmarks. The book emphasizes that these regulations are designed to be human-centric, prioritizing safety, transparency, and "compliance by design." To prevent these rules from stifling innovation, the book highlights the use of regulatory sandboxes and strategic financing through the European Investment Bank to support the scaling of homegrown startups and SMEs.

Finally, the book places Europe’s digital strategy within a global geopolitical context, navigating the tensions between the United States’ market dominance and China’s state-led model. It concludes that implementation and enforcement are the ultimate tests of this strategy. For Europe to succeed, it must maintain a delicate balance: fostering a vibrant, green, and competitive innovation ecosystem while ensuring that the physical and virtual infrastructure of the digital age remains firmly anchored in European values and legal frameworks.