Navigating Dependencies, Power, and Democratic Resilience in a Changing Global Order

This policy brief examines digital sovereignty as a geopolitical strategy for the European Union (EU) in a changing global order characterised by weaponised interdependence and increasing strategic competition over technological control. It argues that digital technology has become a decisive determinant of geopolitical power, requiring the EU to complement its traditional regulatory approach with a stronger focus on strategic agency, economic security, and technological autonomy. Digital sovereignty is defined as the EU’s capacity to exercise independence in the digital realm while remaining open and connected to global networks. The brief develops a multi-layered analytical framework to map the strategic dilemmas arising across the digital stack. These include the tension between normative influence and international coalition-building in digital governance; the trade-off between de-risking critical infrastructures and preserving interconnectedness; the balance between economic statecraft and global market integration; and the challenge of strengthening social cohesion without undermining individual liberties. These dilemmas highlight how efforts to enhance sovereignty can simultaneously generate new vulnerabilities and geopolitical risks. Building on this analysis, the brief advances four science-for-policy priorities. It calls for conceiving normative influence and coalition-building as mutually reinforcing; reducing critical infrastructure dependencies where feasible and strategic; deploying economic statecraft to mitigate coercion risks and strengthen the internal market; and anchoring digital sovereignty in democratic resilience.

FRATINI Samuele;  POHLE Julia;  DI MARCO Diletta;  THABIT GONZALEZ Sara;  SGUEO Gianluca; 

2026-05-08

European Commission

JRC146878

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC146878,