Mainstream political groups in the European Parliament – the centre-right European People’s Party, the centre-left S&D, liberal Renew and the Greens – are seeking an overhaul of a report into technology sovereignty presented in February by French far-right lawmaker Sarah Knafo, from the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) group.
Knafo’s report touted six recommendations to boost technological sovereignty and guarantee the bloc’s independence and security by protecting its strategic infrastructure and reducing dependence on non-European technology providers.
The compromise amendments tabled by the EPP, S&D, Renew and Greens, and seen by Euronews, go beyond Knafo’s six recommendations, listing 21 key elements for consideration, including digital infrastructure, fibre, 5G and 6G, cloud services, AI systems and quantum.
The amendments call for example for “a coordinated EU strategy for post-quantum cryptography to protect data from future cyber threats”, increased investment in digital infrastructure to enable the growth of data centres, and stronger cybersecurity protection in all critical infrastructure sectors, with stricter measures to de-risk high-risk vendors in 5G and 6G networks.
“The geopolitical landscape and the resulting opportunity for market demand for European products and services” should be seen as “a window of opportunity to position Europe as a global leader in trusted and secure digital solutions”, according to the new draft.
It calls on the Commission to set out a list of critical dependencies in digital infrastructure and technologies, and to assess storage services, identity and payment systems, communication platforms, as well as software, protocols and standards that support them, and to propose measures “to promote access to market of products and services with high positive impact on technological sovereignty, European resilience and sustainability”.
These include a call to encourage more private investment in high-potential European technology companies by simplifying the regulatory framework and scrapping two regulations for every new set of rules created in strategic sectors.
The amendments say that “the simplification of EU legislation must not endanger any of the fundamental rights for citizens and businesses and hence risk regulatory certainty; Any simplification proposal should not be rushed and proposed without proper consideration, consultation and impact assessment.”
The report is awaiting a committee decision, in the Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) committee, before it will be voted on in plenary, after the summer.
Knafo's ESN group faces a 'cordon sanitaire' from the more mainstream political groups.
The report is an own-initiative report, which means that it would force the Commission to respond on whether it will propose legislation or action on the topic.
