Europe must do more to reduce its dependence on foreign technology providers, according to Renew Europe, following the European Commission's long-awaited Tech Sovereignty package unveiled last week.
The package aims to strengthen Europe's ability to develop and control the digital technologies that increasingly underpin modern life, from artificial intelligence and cloud computing to semiconductors and critical digital infrastructure.
While Renew Europe welcomed the initiative, the group argued that the proposals do not yet go far enough to secure Europe's technological independence.
Liberals are calling for greater investment in European alternatives to non-EU technology providers, particularly in areas such as semiconductor manufacturing, cloud services and AI infrastructure. They also criticised the Commission for failing to clearly define what constitutes a "sovereign cloud", a term increasingly used in discussions about Europe's digital future.
For Renew Europe, the issue is about more than technology. It is about ensuring that Europe can maintain control over critical systems relied upon by governments, businesses and citizens without becoming overly dependent on companies based outside the EU.
Valérie Hayer, President of Renew Europe Group, says:
“Today, every industrial policy is also a sovereignty policy. Europe is not only investing in semiconductors, it is investing in its independence and market power. This an important first step to give greater weight to strategic security criteria, including the development and control of critical software, hardware and cloud infrastructures within Europe as a new cornerstone of a European technology strategy that strengthens resilience, safeguards sovereignty and fosters our competitiveness."
Bart Groothuis MEP (VVD, NL), Member in the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, and who negotiated the current Chips Act, says:
"This isn't routine legislation. It's a fundamental choice about Europe's future. The Chips Act means nothing without the Cloud and AI Development Act. They jointly determine the demand creation for European advanced AI, cloud and semiconductor technologies. The real question is: will this contribute to building our own large language model? Right now, you cannot train an LLM in the EU that complies with all existing rules. We need to fix that – or face technological colonisation."
Christophe Grudler MEP (Mouvement Démocrate, FR), Coordinator in the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, says:
“While I welcome today’s announcements, we must raise our ambitions significantly: Europe must be able to operate and maintain our critical digital infrastructure independently from third countries, particularly for the public sector. I also regret the lack of ambitious Open Source proposals. Let us remember that Linux powers our data centers. But relying on Open Source technologies whose governance and contributions are dominated by American or Chinese entities is not sovereignty. I call on the Commission to propose additional measures to support European contributions to Open Source technologies."