EU unveils Tech Sovereignty Package to decouple from foreign providers

Brussels is signaling an aggressive pivot toward a protected digital market, which could force U.S. cloud giants to restructure operations or face exclusion from lucrative public sector contracts. For the streaming industry, this means CDN and cloud infrastructure providers must prepare for stricter data-localization requirements and 'sovereignty risk assessments' across the 27-country bloc. These rules prioritize jurisdictional independence over traditional cost-efficiencies provided by hyperscalers. Watch for the July 2026 call for 'AI Gigafactories' as a signal of the EU's serious intent to fund its own industrial-scale compute power.

The European Technological Sovereignty Package, announced in June 2026, responds to data showing that the EU currently relies on foreign providers for over 80% of its digital products and services. Per the European Commission (June 2026), the package aims to correct what officials call a 'structural dependency' that leaves essential services like energy grids and hospitals exposed to external disruptions. This move builds on the original 2023 Chips Act, which mobilized over €52 billion in investment but failed to significantly close the manufacturing gap as global capacity expanded faster than Europe's market share.

Central to the new strategy is CADA, which introduces stringent 'assurance levels' for cloud providers. According to reporting from The Record (June 2026), 'Level 4' requirements demand full supply-chain control with no third-country interference—a standard that effectively excludes most current U.S. hyperscale offerings. Similarly, per Science|Business (June 2026), the Chips Act 2.0 shifts focus to demand-side tools, such as 'Demand Accelerators' and 'AI Factories,' intended to guarantee a domestic market for EU-made chips.

This regulatory push follows a series of sector-specific moves, including the NIS2 Directive and the Cyber Resilience Act, which place mandatory security and reporting obligations on digital service providers. Per Akingump (June 2026), while the package marks a significant decoupling from U.S. technology, its success remains tied to the EU’s ability to attract private funding. The Commission is currently consulting with the European Investment Bank to establish a 'European equity capacity' to supplement public spending, with final adoption of the package expected by 2027.