The current digital domain is not transparent and characterized by unprecendented concentrations of power. European countries are too dependent on a few very dominant global players with opaque agendas. The time is now crucial to advance European tech sovereignity that protects public values and strengthens democratic control. This is the political backdrop of our latest event “Fostering Democratic Resilience: Industrial strategy for public digital infrastructure,” which took place the 2nd of September in the European Parliament.
At Commons Network, we believe that in order to achieve digital autonomy in Europe, the alternatives that we build must be governed collectively. That’s why we co-initiated the Democratic Tech Alliance, a coalition which brings together policymakers, civil society, and industry to help build EU actions toward a values-based tech ecosystem.
At its second meeting, “Fostering Democratic Resilience: Industrial strategy for public digital infrastructure,” hosted by MEP Alex Agius Saliba and MEP Axel Voss, policy makers, industry professionals, and acedmics gathered to advance European tech sovereignity. Our board member, Wouter de Iongh delivered the introductory talk on behalf of the Democratic Tech Alliance together with Sebastian Toffaletti (Digital SME).
The role of the Democratic Tech Alliance
The Democratic Tech Alliance supports a European digital ecosystem that contributes to strategic resilience, innovation and democracy, as well as a fair and diverse market. This means:
- Promoting a collaborative and inclusive approach to tech development
- Favoring tech that embraces sustainable development and deployment, interoperability, cooperation, ethical and inclusive governance.
- Incentivizing those business models that align with Europe’s public interrest
- Prioritize the federation of technology rather than more accumulation
- Apart from regulation and investment in domestic industry, Europe needs to work closely with trusted international partners. Even more so in areas where the EU lacks its own capacity
Advancing European tech sovereignty through the commons
We have the tools and ideas to build a digital future that mirrors our democratic values. The idea of a sovereign Eurostack where European players themselves have control over different layers of technology is a really helpful framework and has been widely discussed in policy circles. Moreover, civil society, industry actors, and policy makers recognize that there is an urgency to shape our own European tech.
At the same time, the shape that the European tech will take is still unclear. There is a potential risk of creating a copy of the US industry but with a European twist, hence with the same market logic but with some European priorities. However, across Europe people rely on a few tech giants for essential technological applications in communications, healthcare, education, business operations, and media; this compromises their resilience and our sovereignty, as well as the ability to govern them properly and democratically. Under the current geopolitical circumstances, there is no alternative but to be ambitious.
The alternative is clear: creating a digital ecosystem that is sovereign and resilient, and which protects and strengthens public values. And it is not about idealism, its practice already exists. Digital commons provide a democratic model, where knowledge and tech are collectively managed or developed. They are characterized by collaborative production and an active community, shared ownership and governance, and a democratic and caring practice. Digital commons can play an important role in developing (public) digital infrastructure and its management, as well as in transitioning to future-proof business models. There are many existing examples of digital commons, for example softwares like Linux and Apache or in the field of cloud hosting such as Nextcloud.
