Digital Sovereignty and its Impact on EU Policymaking

Abstract

Digital sovereignty is a concept which is increasingly debated and analysed. In this article we attempt to explore the extent to which digital sovereignty is part of the EU policy and the forms in which this policy becomes coherent legislation. The first two parts discuss digital sovereignty as a concept and as a part of the EU policy. The article continues with a brief overview of whether and how this translates into coherent legislation. The final part discusses the usefulness of sovereignty as a concept, concluding that the idea has significant limitations but also that the traditional views of sovereignty as regulatory power and/or strategic autonomy are misleading.

Keywords: Digital sovereignty, EU, regulatory power, Digital Services Act, Digital Markets Act

JEL Classification: K10, K20, O38