en.Wedoany.com Reported - As the VivaTech 2026 exhibition opens in Paris, Germany and France have jointly released an official definition of digital sovereignty, aiming to bolster Europe's digital independence. Building on the preliminary agreement reached at the Berlin Sovereignty Summit last November, this initiative seeks to further reduce external dependencies in key technologies.
The definition describes digital sovereignty as the comprehensive ability to "independently, autonomously, and securely develop, provide, use, adapt, and control" technologies such as hardware and software, thereby ensuring decision-making power over one's own processes and activities. Drafted by a joint working group from both countries, the document aims to provide policy momentum for discussions on the European Commission's related technological sovereignty initiatives.
German Federal Minister for Digital Affairs Karsten Wildberger (CDU) views this plan as a necessary response to the geopolitical situation, citing frequent cyberattacks and risks of supply chain disruptions. He stated that Europe should not limit itself but must consolidate efforts to support local startups, with the goal of building globally competitive enterprises. As the largest EU member states, Germany and France hope to lead efforts, mobilize more partners, and incorporate this topic into future legal documents.
This new definition elaborates on digital sovereignty from six dimensions, accompanied by a specific list of criteria. Its core focus lies in the feasibility of legal enforcement, the protection of sensitive data, and the resilience of critical infrastructure. In practice, this strategy means prioritizing suppliers from the EU or other trusted partner countries when procuring digital products.
To avoid technology lock-in effects, the strategy encourages the adoption of open-source solutions and modular architectures, and plans to purposefully build and expand proprietary computing infrastructure for artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
In conjunction with this, a new version of the "Deutsch-Französisches Zukunftswerk" (German-French Future Workshop) has also been launched, aiming to deepen exchanges and interactions between the private sectors and digital ecosystems of both countries. French Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff cited the collaboration between SAP and Mistral AI as a typical example, noting that it demonstrates how European sovereign AI can meet the real needs of governments and businesses. The initial tasks of the Future Workshop will include establishing a joint catalog of sovereign digital solutions and an analytical framework for assessing key interdependencies.
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