Brexit and the risks of digital sovereignism

Abstract

Regaining sovereignty from the EU was a mantra of the Brexit campaign. The Eurosceptic slogan ‘let’s take back control’ referred to an alleged erosion of sovereignty and supremacy of the powers of the UK Parliament by EU institutions. Before the Brexit referendum,in a last attempt to reconcile UK sovereignty claims and its status as an EU member state, UK Prime Minister David Cameron even proposed the idea of a ‘Parliamentary Sovereignty Act’, a plan that was soon dismissed as only a definitive departure from the EU would have achieved its objectives. The EU, its laws and institutions were perceived as hampering the socio-economic development of an independent and sovereign UK, which relied on a century-long democratic tradition. However, it was clear that to regain that coveted independence a polite handshaking between former partners would not have sufficed. Especially in light of the complexity of the issues to be solved, plugging off the cable from the EU family could not be an overnight change. As expected, the Brexit process resulted to be more akin a suffered divorce.

Keywords: Digital Sovereignty, Brexit