EU warns foreign tech dependence could be weaponized, pushes tech sovereignty

EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen warned that Europe’s reliance on foreign technology can be weaponized and urged greater tech sovereignty, advocating the use of public procurement to grow EU tech firms and a legislative package on cloud, AI, and chips. She stressed semiconductors as a pre-condition for other technologies, backed the Buy European approach, and pointed to the upcoming Industrial Accelerator Act while noting the U.S. remains an important partner amidst vulnerabilities from Covid and Russia’s invasion.