Digital Awakening: Europe's Path to Sovereignty

Dear Prof. Dr. Specht-Riemenschneider, you have been in nationwide responsibility since September 2024 and are therefore still very new in office. Previously, you held the Chair of Civil Law, Data Economy Law, Data Protection, Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. What do you take most from this into your current work, what synergies do you see and what do you see as the greatest challenges for Germany as a result?

Specht-Riemenschneider: My academic work has shown me time and again how important the close interlinking of law, technology and society is. I also have this perspective as BfDI: data protection must enable innovation and protect fundamental rights at the same time. I see the greatest challenges in the regulation of new technologies, European and international cooperation and raising awareness in society. We need a clear legal framework that promotes security and trust in the digital world.

Keyword challenge: With the outbreak of the corona pandemic, we saw that we are dependent on China for medical protective equipment. The outbreak of the Ukraine conflict was about dependencies in the areas of energy and defense, among others. We are also dependent on non-European solutions in the digital sector and the issue of digital sovereignty will only really be addressed when a US Vice President throws the Munich Security Conference into turmoil and multipolarity is cast in a whole new light. Do we not see these dependencies in advance or do we not want to see them? Or rather, what do you think needs to be done to reduce them?

The dependencies are often known, but are addressed too late or not with the necessary consistency. One key reason is that economic efficiency and short-term cost savings have long been a priority, while strategic resilience and digital sovereignty only take center stage in times of crisis. Digital and technical sovereignty requires a forward-looking digital and industrial policy that specifically strengthens European technologies and infrastructures. This means investing in key technologies such as the cloud, AI and semiconductors that realize European values. But it also means increased European cooperation in order to exploit economies of scale and strengthen our own ability to act by pooling demand. In addition, regulatory framework conditions must be designed in such a way that they enable innovation in line with fundamental rights without making us dependent on new things. In short: we need less reaction and more strategic foresight.

The EU-US data protection framework is under threat and the US government is considering punitive tariffs due to EU regulations such as the GDPR. How can we reduce reliance on non-European technologies and retain control over data within the EU?

I view the events in the US with concern and hope that the EU will make smart decisions. At the same time, I would like European companies to finally recognize their knowledge advantage in data protection-friendly technology more strongly as a competitive advantage. I stand ready with my organization to support this with information and advice and to pave the way.

There is no shortage of capable technology providers in the EU. It has been stated several times that the knowledge is available, the toolbox is ready, but that Germany and the EU are inhibited when it comes to concrete implementation. Why do you think this is the case?

For me, the crucial question is: what is stopping us? Digital policy must pursue a vision, a goal that can guide legislative action. Value-oriented digitalization could be such a goal. Supervision can be activating through information, advice and active support such as real-world laboratories. I am happy to offer this. But it is up to the legislator to create the right rules to enable innovation and protect fundamental rights at the same time. I believe we need targeted investment in solutions that will carry our European values into a digital future.

Germany must no longer drive by sight when it comes to digital policy. Dependencies are always a risk. These must be relentlessly identified and reduced. Germany and Europe are in reaction mode. The decisions to be made now in politics, business and society must ensure that such times of uncertainty and time-consuming and cost-intensive transitions are a thing of the past.

"If we don't take the current geopolitical situation as an opportunity to liberate ourselves technologically and become our own sovereign - when will we?" adds Katharina M. Schwarz, Head of Global Affairs at Myra Security. "Europe has the skills, the brains and the budget to build a digital landscape based on united, European values. All other excuses are absurd. We are brilliant at finding powerful words: turning point, double whammy, bazooka or 'whatever it takes'. But it is the actions that must now follow in Germany and the EU in the sense of a European cyber union. We have to become digital match leaders. Otherwise, we will end up being nothing but a match ball.”