France, Germany urge Europe to stop being client of US, China in digital race

BERLIN, Germany (MNTV) – French President Emmanuel Macron warned that Europe risks losing control of its digital future unless it stops relying on American and Chinese technology companies and builds its own industrial champions.

Speaking at the Summit on European Digital Sovereignty in Berlin, Macron said Europe “does not want to be the client of the big entrepreneurs or the big solutions being provided, either from the US or from China.” Such dependence, he warned, threatens competitiveness and democratic resilience.

“If we let the Americans and the Chinese have all the champions, one thing is certain: we may have the best regulations in the world, but we won’t be regulating anything,” he said.

Europe must “design our own solutions, preserve our sovereignty, and refuse to become a vassal.”

Macron said Europe is now in a high-stakes global technological race spanning AI, cloud services, semiconductors and quantum computing.

He urged a “Franco-German reflex” in digital policy and pushed for simplified regulations, deeper capital markets and priority support for European firms.

He also emphasized stricter data protections and warned of “extraterritorial enforcement of foreign laws” if the EU continues storing sensitive data on non-European platforms.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz echoed the call for digital sovereignty, saying Europe must act quickly or risk falling behind.
“The tectonic shifts we’re witnessing around the world…require swift action in the digital sphere,” Merz said, warning that the US–China rivalry should not leave Europe behind.

The summit, co-hosted by Merz and Macron, brought together around 900 representatives from politics, business, science and civil society.