Towards a sustainable and resilient future internet 

European Strategic Autonomy series - Digital & Technology

Policy Brief

06/02/2023

In 2020, the European Commission published its ‘Shaping Europe’s Digital Future’ communication. It announced a set of digital policies that would enhance Europe’s technological sovereignty, whilst ensuring a sustainable and resilient internet. 

This policy brief analyses the EU’s digital policy initiatives and argues that they risk remaining too fragmented to effectively reduce Europe’s dependency on a few foreign firms and miss a powerful opportunity to spur the development of an ecosystem of value-led alternatives. Whilst recently proposed and enacted laws for online platforms and data governance are promising, they do not take a holistic view of the way the different levels of the technology stack interact. Most importantly, they fail to pay sufficient attention to developing open standards, protocols and digital public goods. 

If the EU wants to break through the harmful dynamic of centralisation of power that dominates the current digital economy, it should adopt a public digital infrastructure (PDI) model. This policy brief provides a blueprint of the institutions necessary to implement such a PDI framework. First, an independent public digital infrastructure agency would develop open standards and protocols around data governance, collaborative interoperability, and more. Second, on top of that, a public technology fund would develop and maintain open tools, such as mobility apps, online education tools and an open European web index to enable growth. Finally, these institutions should support the development of a secure personal data wallet and self-governed online identity, which would allow individuals to share and pool their data, in full respect of their privacy and interests.

This Policy Brief is part of a Strategic Autonomy Series, you can find out more about this issue on the project webpage.

Network
Fondation Jean-Jaurès
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
Related publications
15/03/2023

A five-point agenda for how development cooperation can support EU’s strategic autonomy

European Strategic Autonomy series - Economy & Trade
28/02/2023

Progressive pathways to European strategic autonomy 

European Strategic Autonomy series
06/07/2022

Europe needs high-tech talent

European Strategic Autonomy series - Digital & Technology
06/07/2022

Countering economic coercion

European Strategic Autonomy series - Economy & Trade
06/07/2022

Leveraging trade policy for the EU’s strategic autonomy

European Strategic Autonomy series - Economy & Trade
04/07/2022

Partnerships and European strategic autonomy

European Strategic Autonomy series - Security & Defense
28/06/2022

Sustainable digital market design

A data-based approach to the circular economy
19/05/2022

European industrial policy

European Strategic Autonomy series - Economy & Trade
16/04/2022

Strategic Autonomy Tech Alliances: Political-industrial collaboration in strategic technologies

European Strategic Autonomy series - Digital & Tech
01/03/2022

Leveraging digital regulation for Strategic Autonomy

European Strategic Autonomy series - Digital & Tech
09/02/2022

Elevating the EU’s added value as a security provider

European Strategic Autonomy series - Security & Defence
13/01/2022

Strategic Autonomy: Not without integration

European Strategic Autonomy series - Security & Defence
25/11/2021

An architecture fit for strategic autonomy

European Strategic Autonomy series - Security & Defence
Find all related publications
Publications
11/10/2024

Algorithmic management in traditional workplaces

Case studies on the impact of algorithmic technologies in seven sectors in the Nordics
16/09/2024

Progressive foundations for modern European industrial policy

10/07/2024

Digital regulatory power but technology taker

How do we create an ecosystem for the European digital model
12/06/2024

A Digital Union based on European values

FEPS Primer series - Ivana Bartoletti
Find all related Progressive Post
Progressive Post
04/04/2024

The Democratic Shield: safeguarding democracy in the age of AI

04/04/2024

Defending democracy in the digital world

Whole-of-society approaches against disinformation
04/04/2024

The 2024 super-election year: navigating the geopolitical disinformation maze

Find all related events
Events
Upcoming
07/11/2024
FEPS HQ, Brussels (Hybrid)

State of the Unions

The US election: implications for the US, the EU and global politics
Past
15/10/2024
Brussels, Belgium

A Digital Union based on European values

Launch of the FEPS Primer book on digital by Ivana Bartoletti
16/10/2024
Brussels, Belgium (Hybrid)

Computer in command

Do the consequences of Algorithmic Management for workers require EU policy action?
Find all related news
News
15/05/2024

Notice of vacancy – Policy analyst on international relations

This vacancy is now closed.
22/03/2024

FEPS attends the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)

08/09/2023

The Feminist Foreign Policy Progressive Voices Collective (FFPPVC)

A collective to promote a feminist and progressive approach to foreign policy
13/03/2023

Digital programme: Algorithms at the workplace

FEPS, together with Nordic partners, launched a Digital Programme on algorithmic management and workers' rights
Find all related in the media
In the media

Tekoäly tuli työpaikalle: Tuloksena kaaosta ja ärtyneitä asiakkaita

by Talouselämä 09/10/2024
'Artificial intelligence entered the workplace: The result is chaos and irritated customers' Finish article about FEPS Policy Study 'Algorithmic management and workplace digitalisation in Finland'

Näitä työtehtäviä yritykset korvaisivat tekoälyllä

by MTV Uutiset 09/10/2024
Finnish Television interviews OP Yrityspanki CEO Katja Keitaanniemi and Demos Helsinki's senior expert Johannes Anttila about FEPS Policy Study 'Algorithmic management and workplace digitalisation in Finland'

Työntekijöitä valvotaan algoritmeilla ja tekoälyllä

by Ylen Aamu 27/08/2024
"Employees are monitored with algorithms and artificial intelligence" Watch Jere Immonen's appearance on the Finnish TV morning news show Ylen Aamu, where he discusses his work on the country's case study for FEPS Digital Programme, focusing on the implementation of algorithmic systems in management across Finland

Ex-EU-Kommissar Andor: Orbán gerät an die Peripherie

by Austria Presse Agentur 28/05/2024
"Former EU Commissioner Andor: Orbán is relegated to the periphery" Austrian news agency APA interviewed FEPS Secretary General László Andor on Europe's political situation ahead of the upcoming EU elections.