In a written parliamentary question submitted on 10 June 2026, Romanian MEP Ioan-Rareş Bogdan (PPE) pressed the European Commission on how it plans to finance the EU's ambitious digital sovereignty agenda without overburdening member states and small businesses. The question targets the financial and logistical implications of the European Technological Sovereignty Package, which aims to triple data centre capacity and reduce reliance on foreign software and cloud products.
the EU currently spends €264 billion annually on third-party software and cloud services, and the package proposes redirecting part of that sum to European open-source alternatives. However, the MEP warns that without clear financial mechanisms, the funds risk being absorbed by large international integrators rather than reaching startups and local authorities. He asks the Commission to specify how it will support these smaller actors in the transition.
A second concern relates to the massive costs of modernising national electricity grids to accommodate the planned tripling of data centre capacity. Bogdan asks how the Commission will ensure fair distribution and EU co-financing of these costs, given the logistical burden on member states.
Finally, the MEP questions the compatibility of the proposed 'cloud and AI sovereignty assessment framework' with the EU's stated commitment to keep markets open to like-minded partners. He warns that the framework could create operational bottlenecks and major compliance costs for EU SMEs, undermining the very competitiveness the package aims to boost.
The question, filed under Rule 144 of Parliament's rules of procedure, does not set a specific deadline for a reply, but the Commission typically responds within six weeks. The answer will signal the Commission's policy direction on financing digital sovereignty and balancing openness with strategic autonomy.
EU startups and SMEs could benefit from redirected funding but face compliance costs from new assessment frameworks; member states bear grid modernisation costs; large international tech firms may lose market share; EU taxpayers ultimately finance the transition.