EU’s ‘Digital Sovereignty’ Doesn’t Mean Protectionism, Says German Minister

Germany’s Digital Minister Carsten Wildberger told Reuters that while Europe must build its own digital infrastructure to reduce dependence on U.S. providers, that does not mean turning away from them entirely.

Frustrated by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade wars — which they saw as advancing American interests — some European nations have begun seeking alternatives to the U.S.-dominated digital services sector.

In an interview this week, Wildberger said that to achieve digital sovereignty, Germany and the European Union must “participate actively as players in this field,” rather than remain “mere customers,” as they largely are today.

“There is an enormous and growing market for technology, innovation, software, data, and artificial intelligence,” he said.

He noted that Germany and Europe have already produced global leaders in their respective fields, such as Mistral AI, DeepL, and Aleph Alpha.

However, Wildberger acknowledged that American companies still hold a strong lead in areas such as artificial intelligence, and that Germany will need them as partners as it pursues its own digital strategy.

“Digital sovereignty does not mean protectionism,” he said. “We want — and should — remain accessible to the global market.”

When asked about concerns that Donald Trump could abruptly cut off transatlantic cooperation, Wildberger responded, “U.S. companies are certainly interested in doing business abroad.”

Still, he emphasized that German companies must have the freedom to make their own choices — such as where their data is stored and who operates the infrastructure.

Wildberger added that true digital sovereignty also means rethinking a long and complex supply chain that stretches from rare earth materials and chip design to servers and cables.