{"id":8095,"date":"2026-02-04T11:41:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T10:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smart-iot.solutions\/?p=8095"},"modified":"2026-02-04T11:41:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T10:41:03","slug":"digital-sovereignty-in-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smart-iot.solutions\/en\/digital-sovereignty-in-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital sovereignty in Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why dependence on infrastructure is no longer a marginal issue<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/div>
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Digital sovereignty is often discussed abstractly \u2013 in political programmes, strategy papers or long-term goals. In economic reality, however, the issue is much more concrete: where digital infrastructure becomes a prerequisite for stability, planning security and the ability to act. <\/span><\/p>\n

The central question is no longer whether Europe is digitally dependent, but <\/span>to what extent \u2013 and with what consequences<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Dependence is a reality, not an exception<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/div>
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How deep this dependence goes is proven by a recent survey by the digital association Bitkom. According to this, <\/span>89 percent of German companies<\/b> that source digital technologies or services from abroad say they are dependent on it (Bitkom, 2025). <\/span>51 percent<\/b> rate this dependence as strong, another <\/span>38 percent<\/b> rather strong. The situation becomes even clearer when it comes to the question of one’s own ability to act: <\/span>57 percent of companies see themselves as able to survive for a maximum of one year without digital imports<\/b>. Only <\/span>4 percent<\/b> state that they can get by without corresponding imports in the long term (Bitkom, 2025). Digital dependence is therefore not a marginal phenomenon, but structurally anchored. <\/span><\/p>\n

The dependence does not affect individual technologies, but almost all areas of digital value creation. According to Bitkom, <\/span>96 percent of companies use digital technologies or services from abroad<\/b>. These include end devices, hardware components such as chips and sensors, software applications, cybersecurity solutions, and digital machines and IT services (Bitkom, 2025). <\/span>The figures make it clear that digital infrastructure is internationally intertwined along the entire value chain \u2013 from the hardware level to software-based services.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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USA and China as dominant dependency partners<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/div>
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Companies name the USA and China as the most important countries of origin of digital technologies<\/span>. <\/span>67 percent<\/b> of companies frequently import digital technologies from the United States, <\/span>58 percent<\/b><\/b> often from China. At the same time, perceived dependence on both countries has increased significantly in 2025 (Bitkom, 2025). <\/span>
\n<\/span>According to their own estimates, German companies would only be <\/span>able to spend around twelve months without digital imports from the USA<\/b>, and only eleven months<\/b> without imports from China <\/span> (Bitkom, 2025). These assessments illustrate the close link between technological performance and international supply relationships. <\/span>Parallel to the increasing dependency, trust in central countries of origin is declining. According to Bitkom (2025), <\/span>60 percent of companies say they trust the U.S. little or not at all<\/b>. The share of companies with confidence in the United States fell from <\/span>51 to 38 percent<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

This creates an area of tension: digital dependencies remain, while trust in political and economic conditions decreases. Digital infrastructure is increasingly perceived as a risk factor. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Digital sovereignty as a structural challenge<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/div>
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In this context, digital sovereignty is understood less as complete independence and more as the ability to identify, evaluate and control dependencies in a targeted manner. This is not about isolation, but about transparency, resilience and the ability to act. <\/span>Digital dependency is the norm for European companies. Digital sovereignty is not a short-term solution, but a long-term design task. It requires transparency about existing dependencies, realistic risk assessments and conscious decisions along the digital infrastructure. <\/span><\/p>\n

The central question is therefore not whether digital sovereignty is necessary, but <\/span>how companies deal with existing dependencies and where they want to strengthen their ability to act in a targeted manner<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source<\/b><\/h3>\n
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  • Bitkom e. V. (2025): <\/span>Europe’s Path to Digital Sovereignty<\/b> \u2013 Press Release, November 13, 2025<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>
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