The European Parliament on 16 June 2026 debated digital sovereignty after US restrictions on Anthropic’s AI models and the Commission’s new technological sovereignty package. Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty Henna Virkkunen presented the package as a response to strategic dependencies, AI uptake gaps, and financing needs, stressing that sovereignty must not become protectionism.
Key divergences emerged. Ana Miguel Pedro (EPP), Alex Agius Saliba (S&D), and Virginijus Sinkevičius (Greens-EFA) argued for strategic autonomy and reduced dependence on the US, while Diego Solier (ECR) and Adina Vălean (EPP) warned against isolation and favoured allied cooperation. On regulation, Bart Groothuis (Renew) and András László (PfE) pushed for deregulation to boost innovation, whereas Marc Angel (S&D) and Pernando Barrena Arza (The Left) insisted on democratic control and defending the digital rulebook.
On industrial policy, Pilar del Castillo Vera (EPP) and Sandro Gozi (Renew) backed public investment and a capital markets union, while Ernő Schaller-Baross (PfE) stressed competitiveness over ideology. On energy, Piotr Müller (ECR) advocated nuclear power for stable, cheap energy, but Alexandra Geese (Greens-EFA) and Kristian Vigenin (S&D) argued for renewables and warned against weakening climate goals.
On the EU vs. nation-state level, Helmut Brandstätter (Renew) and Sandro Gozi (Renew) insisted only the EU can secure sovereignty, while Siegbert Frank Droese (ESN) and Rada Laykova (ESN) defended stronger nation states. On open source and procurement, Michał Kobosko (Renew) and Aurore Lalucq (S&D) supported European preference, but Jörgen Warborn (EPP) questioned limits on entrepreneurial freedom.
Broad consensus existed on the need for investment, energy cost reduction, and building European capacity in AI, cloud, and semiconductors. Next steps include advancing the digital omnibus and implementing the package through AI factories and gigafactory calls. Affected stakeholders include EU tech startups, cloud providers, semiconductor firms, energy suppliers, and US tech companies facing potential procurement preferences.