German and French leaders call for reduced US tech dependence and greater European digital sovereignty amid AI race and Trump’s return
BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron will jointly advocate for enhanced European digital sovereignty during Tuesday’s summit.
The leaders of Europe’s largest economies aim to reduce continental dependence on American technology giants as artificial intelligence competition intensifies.
Their Berlin gathering will include CEOs from prominent regional firms such as French AI company Mistral and German software giant SAP.
German Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger emphasised that Europe must shape its own digital future while attending an €11 billion data centre groundbreaking ceremony.
“We can make better progress by working together,” he stated regarding European collaboration.
The summit occurs amid escalating concerns about US tech dominance following Donald Trump’s return to the presidency and his questioning of transatlantic relations.
European Union officials will propose relaxing AI and data protection regulations later this week to boost competitiveness.
Discussions will also focus on developing sovereign EU cloud computing capabilities to protect European data from US-dominated services.
Fostering industry competition and creating fair digital markets feature prominently on the summit agenda.
Merz and Macron will deliver keynote addresses before dining with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, though discussion topics remain undisclosed.
New digital initiatives are expected to be announced during the event.
Persistent European concerns extend beyond US dependence to include hardware reliance on Chinese and Asian manufacturers.
A Bitkom survey reveals approximately 90% of German companies importing digital goods consider themselves dependent on foreign suppliers.
Bitkom President Ralf Wintergerst stressed that Europe must significantly increase digital investment to avoid technological obsolescence.
“Europe must not fall behind—today’s investments secure tomorrow’s competitiveness and jobs,” he told AFP.
Europe faces substantial challenges with computing capacity lagging significantly behind global competitors.
Continental data centres possess just 16 gigawatts of capacity compared to America’s 48 and China’s 38 gigawatts.
Recent German investments from Google and an Nvidia-Deutsche Telekom AI partnership highlight ongoing US dependence.
A French presidential official clarified the summit focuses on protecting core sovereignty rather than confronting the United States or China. – AFP
