It's time to wake up and take action. The report on digital independence is here

The future of the entire economy is being shaped in the digital space. The cloud and the resources it collects, the AI infrastructure, determine its competitiveness.
In turn, digital autonomy is determined by the ability to independently manage citizens' data, security and digital identity.
Big Tech concentrates informal power and influence on a scale unprecedented in the history of the economy and civilization. Europe, and with it Poland, is aware of its digital dependence on foreign technologies. How to effectively fight for independence and decision-making?
We will present the Recommendations of the European Economic Congress (EEC) on digital independence. The report "Digital sovereignty. Between the dominance of big tech and building own capabilities" is a continuation of the series of Congress summaries on the WNP Economic Trends website.

Digital sovereignty is a topic increasingly raised by politicians throughout the European Union. War in Europe, the growing scale of cyber threats, the dominance of big tech, the fierce rivalry of global powers, the area of which is the digital economy, the latest technologies and the raw materials and... skills needed for their development - this environment had to lead Europe to reflect on the degree and effects of dependence.

American technology is safe and a universal standard – this is understood by European politicians, focused on limiting Chinese influence, which pushes Europe even further into the arms of American big tech.

Where our data is processed matters. Infrastructure and knowledge needed

The belief in the power of regulations (eg certification of data processing in France) seems somewhat naive, but it shows how high the stakes are and how quickly the awareness is changing that data, who has access to it and for what purpose it is processed, determines not only the power of the economy, but may exaggerate decisions regarding the future of states, societies and individuals.

Data center location is definitely no longer a neutral issue. But there is also a growing awareness of the importance of the ability (i.e. skills and infrastructure) to process data independently.

Data has a nationality. Where and by whom it is processed matters. Photo: Shutterstock/Jamesteohart

There is simply no substitute for the technologies offered by digital giants… European projects do not meet (yet?) the expectations of businesses, primarily due to their scale and global functionality.

The Congress answers key questions about digitalization and the development prospects of a data-driven economy.

How to build our own digital capabilities? What do we need here and now to decide on development directions, feel safer, and increase the competitiveness of the economy?

The answers to these questions are sought by the protagonists of the report "Digital sovereignty. Between the dominance of big tech and building one's own capabilities" – participants of the debates at this year's European Economic Congress .

There are no shortcuts to greater technological independence. Building digital sovereignty is a difficult, expensive and long-term process that requires political courage, regulatory consistency, and investment on a scale comparable to the industrial plans of the world's largest economies.

The report by Anna Wittenberg , who deals with the topics of artificial intelligence, innovations, and civil rights in the digital world at the WNP editorial office, summarises the conclusions developed during the debates of the European Economic Congress 2025 devoted to the digital economy. The issue of technological independence of Poland and Europe appeared during many congress discussions.

The text of the presented Recommendations is supplemented with clearly presented numbers and data as well as a rich set of quotes.

The report includes contributions from EEC participants: political decision-makers, digital market experts, but above all entrepreneurs and managers – business practitioners – both in the digital sector and in the sector implementing digitalization.

The report diagnoses the barriers and indicates opportunities to build or regain at least some technological sovereignty – both in the public and private sectors, in order to effectively compete on international markets.

The report can be downloaded from the WNP Economic Trends website .