Notes from the IAPP Europe: EU's digital sovereignty efforts beyond the digital sovereignty package

They say the third time's the charm, but perhaps the fourth time's a charm too? 

It is definitely the case with the long-awaited European Technological Sovereignty Package, which was finally revealed 3 June, after its publication was postponed three times. This set of initiatives aimed at boosting the EU's sovereignty was initially planned to be launched in March. Some speculate its delay was caused by geopolitical tensions or disagreements over the contents of the package, but it's possible the four-piece set of measures was simply not ready until a few days ago. 

The release of the EU's Technological Sovereignty Package is seen as a moment solidifying Europe's digital sovereignty discussion into a roadmap of concrete measures in four areas — the EU's semiconductor capacity, its digital infrastructure with a focus on data centers, open-source alternatives and sustainable digitalization of Europe's energy system. 

The initiatives contained in this package are not the first to support the EU's sovereignty and competitiveness agenda. Several other actions that tie into these themes have been ongoing for a while and some are just kicking off.  

One of the ongoing initiatives is the European Business Wallet, which is part of the larger Digital Package that is mostly focused on simplification. Published in November last year, the Digital Package included two Digital Omnibus regulation proposals, one focused on artificial intelligence and the other on the EU's digital acquis, the Data Union Strategy, which aims to safeguard the EU's data sovereignty, including through measures on protecting European sensitive nonpersonal data and ensuring fair treatment of EU data in third countries, and lastly the European Business Wallet. 

The European Business Wallet project focuses on digitizing and harmonizing administrative business processes across the EU, making it easier for companies to interact with other businesses and public bodies. The proposal is currently going through the European legislative process. The final contents of this regulation may differ from what was initially proposed by the European Commission, as each EU institution will try to shape and mend the text according to its own interests. 

According to member of European Parliament Axel Voss, who recently shared that Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs adopted its opinion on the European Business Wallet, it will also have an effect on Europe's digital sovereignty "by ensuring that data associated with the Wallet is stored and processed within the European Union."

Another piece of EU legislation that touches upon the topic of digital sovereignty, the new 2 GHz mobile satellite services regulation, was published at the end of May. This law proposes an authorization regime for mobile satellite services providers' access to the EU's harmonized 2 GHz frequency band from 2027 onwards. According to the Commission's proposal, it would allocate two thirds of the band to EU operators, fully covering part of the band dedicated to the governmental use, such as for critical communications, security and military, and half of the 2 GHz MSS band for public use, which would be specifically reserved for new EU operators. Both EU and third country operators will be able to apply for authorization to use the remaining portion of the commercial use band.

Although not at the level of concreteness of the aforementioned initiatives, the EU is also discussing the future of social networks in Europe in order to "encourage a more diverse and trustworthy ecosystem." In a recently organized workshop, different stakeholders deliberated on various issues, including alternative business models for social networks, supporting the growth of emerging platforms using current EU tools — such as the Digital Markets Act — as well as upcoming initiatives and scaling up European pilot projects. 

The social networking landscape in Europe is dominated by non-European platforms. A few months ago, the Commission registered an initiative in which EU citizens called for the establishment of a public social media platform in Europe. Currently, it is just an idea coming from Europeans wishing to have a safe alternative. If 1 million signatures supporting this initiative are collected within 12 months, the Commission is required to provide a justified response to the call.