Digital Sovereignty in the European Union: Five Challenges from a Normative Perspective

Published in Barrett, G., Müller-Graff, PC., Rageade, JP., Vadász, V. (eds), European Sovereignty: The Legal Dimension (Springer, 2024).

21 Pages Posted: 19 Jul 2023 Last revised: 15 Dec 2024

Date Written: July 07, 2024

Abstract

In this paper, I aim to make sense of digital sovereignty in the European Union by examining both its meanings and its obstacles. I start by unpacking the term through a brief exploration of its use in European discourse, and reflect on two of its dimensions that are prevalently highlighted: economic and normative digital sovereignty (section 2). Focusing primarily on the latter, I subsequently examine five challenges that European digital sovereignty currently faces, and that must be tackled if the EU wishes to maintain its ability to exercise its sovereign powers. These include the significant role of private actors in the public digital sphere, interference by foreign actors, Europe’s rule of law crisis, the risk of poor digital governance, and the lack of digital literacy (section 3). Finally, I offer some concluding remarks, acknowledging the difficult balances the EU will need to strike in its digital policies (section 4).

Keywords: digital sovereignty, European Union, artificial intelligence, digital policy, strategic autonomy

Suggested Citation

Smuha, Nathalie A., Digital Sovereignty in the European Union: Five Challenges from a Normative Perspective (July 07, 2024). Published in Barrett, G., Müller-Graff, PC., Rageade, JP., Vadász, V. (eds), European Sovereignty: The Legal Dimension (Springer, 2024)., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4501591 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4501591

Nathalie A. Smuha (Contact Author)

KU Leuven - Faculty of Law ( email )

Tiensestraat 41
Leuven, B-3000
Belgium

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