Digital sovereignty has become a buzzword in recent years: the disruption of the global supply chain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing geopolitical tensions between the USA and China have triggered a policy discussion on digital sovereignty on both sides of the Atlantic. 

Digital sovereignty is an inherently ambiguous concept that different actors use in various ways. Generally speaking, digital sovereignty stipulates the need for enhanced State ‘control’ on the digital domain, covering both the physical layer (i.e. infrastructure, hardware components), the code layer (i.e., standards, rules, design), and the information layer (i.e. content and personal data). A plurality of objectives potentially falls under the scope of digital sovereignty, such as enhancing resilience by fostering the local manufacturing of critical hardware components (e.g. semi-conductors), strengthening network security regulation to prevent cyber-security attacks, limiting the influence of foreign State-owned companies by introducing new forms of scrutiny over the Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).

While resilience, security, and public interest are legitimate objectives, the pursuit of sovereignty must be carefully balanced with the realities of the global and hyper-interconnected economy. The concept of digital sovereignty, in fact, clashes with the market reality of ‘vertical stacks’, which acknowledge the interdependences of digital infrastructures. Digital sovereignty could thus distort competition between players operating in digital markets and hamper innovation, by thus finally harming consumers. 

A debate on digital sovereignty is timely since new implications of the concept are likely to emerge in the coming years under the second Trump administration and the second Von Der Leyen Commission. Digital sovereignty has so far been mostly discussed only in the context of high-level policy debates. By contrast, the 2025 Florence Digitalisation Summer Conference aims at decoding the meaning of digital sovereignty, looking at its potential impact on competition and innovation in digital markets. In particular, the Summer Conference aims at contributing to the ongoing policy debate by analysing 4 interrelated research questions:

1.   What are policy objectives falling within the scope of digital sovereignty?

2.   Does the meaning of digital sovereignty diverge in the EU and in the USA?

3.   What is the impact of digital sovereignty for the development of the main digital technologies, such as 5G networks, semiconductors, cloud computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

4.   What is the impact of digital sovereignty on future competitive dynamics and innovation in digital markets?

Invited speakers will be mostly present at the EUI campus in Florence. The audience will be able to follow the conference via Zoom, free of charge. A limited number of participants in the audience will also be able to attend the event in person in Florence. The registration fee to join the event in person is 150 €. The fee covers the cost of the refreshments (3 coffee breaks, 1 lunch, and 1 dinner). On the other hand, the registration fee does not cover travel and accommodation costs in Florence.

Finally, participants in the course 'New Trends in Digital Regulation' will be able to attend the 2025 Summer Conference in person, free of charge.

Disclaimer:

The CDS organises balanced policy events, involving stakeholders from different countries, with different educational and professional backgrounds, intending to always safeguard gender and diversity balance. CDS policy events are also open: first of all, the events are always open to the public (i.e. either online and/or in person). Secondly, the video recordings of the CDS policy events are usually made available on the CDS website soon after the event. The CDS may jointly organise policy events with its Institutional Partners and market donors on topics of mutual interest. Representatives of CDS Institutional Partners and Market Donors may be invited as speakers at the CDS policy events to provide a practitioner perspective on a specific topic. The CDS fully complies with the EUI Guidelines on Ethics and Integrity in Academic Research and the EUI General Principles concerning the Receipt of External Funds. In particular, the EUI Funding Committee regularly scrutinises any external funding from private donors received by the CDS.