Germany and France have published a joint definition of digital sovereignty at the VivaTech 2026 trade fair in Paris, marking a concrete step toward reducing Europe's critical dependencies on Big Tech. The paper defines digital sovereignty as the ability to "independently, self-determinedly, and securely develop, provide, use, adapt, and control" technologies such as hardware and software.
The joint paper, prepared by a task force from both countries, outlines six dimensions for digital independence with concrete criteria, focusing on legal enforcement, data protection, and infrastructure resilience. It advocates for preferential use of EU or trusted partner digital products, open-source solutions, and modular architectures to prevent vendor lock-in. German Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger (CDU) called the initiative a "geopolitical imperative" in light of increasing cyberattacks and supply chain disruptions, while French Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff highlighted the SAP-Mistral AI partnership as a model for sovereign European AI solutions. (HEISE)
The paper is publicly available here.
Stefan Krempl
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