Europe’s digital future depends on empowering local and regional authorities, strengthening the internal market, and building resilient, homegrown technological ecosystems. These were the key points raised by EPP-CoR members during the 2nd meeting of the Digital Participatory Forum – Digital Sovereignty, held at the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).
Speaking at the forum, Pehr Granfalk, rapporteur for the CoR opinion on Digital Simplification and the Data Union Strategy, stressed that Europe’s ability to achieve digital sovereignty hinges on a well-functioning internal market and strong territorial involvement. He highlighted the central role of regions and municipalities as key investors and implementers of digital infrastructure and services.
“When we talk about digital sovereignty, we can conclude that it fundamentally depends on having a strong European domestic market that is not fragmented along national lines. To achieve this, the key is to involve regions and municipalities. We account for a significant share of the investments required to build this sovereignty.”
Granfalk also emphasised that Europe’s decentralised model—based on multiple interoperable providers—can reduce dependency on global tech giants, strengthen resilience, and create a more competitive and innovative digital ecosystem, provided that barriers to market access are removed and local authorities are supported.
Alberto Cirio, President of the Piedmont Region and rapporteur for the CoR opinion on the AI Continent Action Plan, highlighted the strategic link between artificial intelligence and digital sovereignty. He underlined that Europe must retain control over its technological development, data, and innovation capacity to ensure long-term competitiveness and autonomy.
Cirio stressed that building strong regional ecosystems is essential for Europe’s success in AI: “Digital sovereignty depends on strong European ecosystems rooted in regions and cities. Local and regional authorities must be central actors in the deployment and innovation of AI, both as users and as facilitators of AI-based services.”
He further pointed to the importance of supporting European AI talent, preventing the loss of intellectual property to third countries, and ensuring that European start-ups can scale without being acquired by non-European actors. He also highlighted strategic vulnerabilities, particularly in the semiconductor sector, and called for stronger coordination and investment planning at European level.
Both speakers agreed that Europe has significant untapped potential to lead in digital technologies, but that this requires concrete action: reducing fragmentation, strengthening local capacities, and fostering a competitive European ecosystem across AI, cloud, and digital infrastructure.
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The Digital Participatory Forum is part of the CoR’s ongoing work on digital transformation and aims to engage stakeholders across governance levels in shaping Europe’s digital sovereignty agenda.