Greater digital independence – this was the motto of the consultations on an Austrian charter on digital sovereignty, which were held during summer this year. Michael Nentwich, Director of the Institute for Technology Assessment (ITA) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, also participated as an expert council member. The charter was adopted by all 27 EU member states on 18 November. It focuses on Europe's technological and economic self-determination, strengthening data sovereignty and measures to increase resilience in times of crisis.

"I welcome the EU declaration. It is high time that Europe actively addresses this important issue. Recent developments in global politics have shown that Europe should reduce its strategic dependencies on non-European countries and companies. The challenges should not be underestimated, and Austria and the EU face major tasks in strengthening digital sovereignty. However, with the necessary determination, we can take on this new chapter," emphasises Nentwich.

The declaration covers several topics that are also highly relevant to the ITA's research work. It addresses challenges for democracy and data sovereignty, and proposes solutions such as open-source software and digital education.

Since September 2025, the ITA has been conducting a study for the Austrian Parliament on the topic of 'Digital Transformation of Public Administration,' which focuses, among other things, on strengthening the digital sovereignty of the public sector. The study' Generative AI and Democracy,' which was completed last spring and also commissioned by Parliament, dealt in detail with external influence on democratic discourse and dependence on non-European platforms. Digital education, especially in the field of artificial intelligence, is also a research focus at the ITA.

Nentwich: 'Ensuring that our European democracies function is a top priority. To achieve this, we must specifically invest in European infrastructure. A European cloud service and social discourse platforms in line with European values would be the next important steps.'