The European Union (EU) has established one of the most ambitious regulatory frameworks for digital technologies over the past decade. Currently, the Union is aiming to achieve digital sovereignty to operate independently through investment in technological capabilities and reduce dependence on non-European suppliers. This goal is particularly aligned with the protection of the rights of European citizens and the democratic processes of this bloc.
The Need for Establishing the European Democracy Structure
Despite significant investments in areas such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, and quantum computing, the European Union still lacks an independent strategy to ensure governance and oversight of these technologies. This article defines the concept of "European Democracy Structure," which acts as the collective capacity of independent organizations to produce evidence, monitor implementation, engage in strategic litigation, and strengthen information integrity. This structure comprises six interdependent institutional components that provide public function.
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Prerequisites for Independence and Its Impacts
A prominent feature of the European Democracy Structure is its independence. This independence encompasses legal and managerial aspects, editorial and research, as well as operational and financial. Many organizations within this structure oversee governments and companies, challenge legal decisions against regulatory decisions, and audit the implementation of EU laws. The collective independence of these organizations from governments and companies is essential for protecting freedom of expression, privacy, and other fundamental rights.
Public funding for the European Democracy Structure in no way contradicts the independence that emphasizes the value of this capacity. Public support should not allow suppliers to influence the selection of research questions, impact findings, shape policy recommendations, or retaliate against criticisms. All institutional funding must be transparent, independent, and subject to independent auditing to strengthen the legitimacy of the democracy structure among European citizens.
Without such independence, the current digital sovereignty program of the European Union will lack a legitimate mechanism for democratic accountability. This analysis builds on a previous policy paper that examined EU public funding for democratic resilience from 2021 to 2024. This paper identifies and quantifies the European Democracy Structure, analyzes its funding model through empirical data extracted from recipient organizations and suppliers, and proposes reforms to align the evolving budget architecture of the EU with its digital sovereignty ideals.
Ultimately, European digital sovereignty will remain incomplete until the European Democracy Structure is recognized and funded as a strategic public infrastructure. This lack of recognition has led to a contradiction in the EU's digital policy objectives. While this bloc has worked to create a broad digital regulatory framework, it seems to have failed to provide an independent strategy for public capacities to ensure the democratic governance of these technologies.
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