The European Parliament debated the Commission's technological sovereignty package on June 16, 2026, with Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty Henna Virkkunen presenting. A key dispute centered on Europe's dependence on US tech after the US restricted access to Anthropic's AI models, described as a 'watershed moment' by S&D's Alex Agius Saliba and a 'wake-up call' by Renew's Sandro Gozi. Greens/EFA's Alexandra Geese said the US views Europe as 'enemies,' while ECR's Diego Solier warned against technological isolation. On energy, ECR's Piotr Müller blamed the Greens for high prices and called for nuclear, but Geese countered that nuclear is the most expensive and pushed renewables. On regulation, Renew's Bart Groothuis argued GDPR and copyright make AI development 'effectively impossible' in the EU, calling for deregulation, while S&D's Dan Nica insisted on strict rules. EPP's Jörgen Warborn questioned open source mandates, but Renew's Michał Kobosko defended choice. The Left's João Oliveira called for greater cooperation against multinationals. S&D's Juan Fernando López Aguilar demanded €5 billion for chips in the next MFF, and Renew's Stéphanie Yon-Courtin proposed a 'Buy European Tech Act.' The Left's Pernando Barrena Arza warned of market fragmentation. Consensus existed on the strategic risk of dependence and need for investment, with many backing a capital markets union. Virkkunen confirmed the package includes a consultation on a European equity capacity and a call for gigafactories. Affected stakeholders include EU tech startups, energy providers, and businesses reliant on US cloud and AI services.
EU Matrix analysis