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Opinion

These are published positions from the voices the Monitor follows and from named public figures. Each one records that someone argued something, which is no evidence that it is true, and none of them moves the sovereignty index; when an institution later acts, that action is recorded as news.

Who the voices are, who they speak for, and how they are chosen

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CCIA Europe publishes position paper on the EU's AI Omnibus CCIA Europe's position paper on the AI Omnibus called for flexibility in choosing conformity assessment bodies and said the planned August 2026 AI generated content marking deadline is too narrow for implementation challenges. Policy and law ReportedAI-drafted DigitalEurope calls for EU unity and urgent sovereignty investment DigitalEurope, quoting Director-General Cecilia Bonefeld Dahl, urges the EU and member states to stay united, invest urgently in technological sovereignty and simplify digital regulation, pointing to the 70 CEOs who signed its European AI and critical tech declaration. Industry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted Virkkunen tells Davos Europe's tech dependence can be weaponised At Davos, Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen said Europe's low start-up to scale-up rate, 8 percent against 60 percent in the US, feeds dependence on foreign technology, and argued sovereignty needs one market, not 27 rulebooks. Policy and law ReportedEditor-read CEPA analysis: Europe's new cyber rules target China and the US CEPA's Ieva Ilves argued the EU's Cybersecurity Act revision, aimed at cutting reliance on Chinese and American vendors, will likely fail on both counts given member state resistance to central authority and no funding for European alternatives. Policy and law VerifiedAbroadAI-drafted DigitalEurope backs Cybersecurity Act certification reform, warns on timelines DIGITALEUROPE's Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl welcomed the Commission's Cybersecurity Act revision making certification "a more practical tool", but called for voluntary schemes aligned with international standards and harmonised timelines across CRA, NIS2 and GDPR. Policy and law VerifiedAI-drafted CCIA Europe warns against exclusionary amendments to EU Cybersecurity Act CCIA Europe's Mitchell Rutledge welcomed the Commission's anchoring of Cybersecurity Act certification in technical criteria, but warned member states and MEPs may add protectionist "sovereignty" amendments excluding non-EU certifiers. Policy and law ReportedAI-drafted CEPA op-ed argues Europe underrates its own tech leverage over the US CEPA analyst Clara Riedenstein argues Europe holds more tech leverage than assumed, citing ASML's lithography monopoly, Merck's chip chemicals, Imec's research and SAP's reach into US government software, and urges reinforcing these strengths via a coming Chips Act 2.0 rather than protectionism. Industry, investment and R&D VerifiedAbroadAI-drafted SWP's Juliana Suss argues Europe must build autonomous military space capability SWP researcher Juliana Suss argues Europe must build autonomous space capability, citing 40 years of European space spending at 15-20% of US levels and Germany's planned EUR 35 billion five-year military space investment as insufficient alone. Defence and space VerifiedAI-drafted DigitalEurope responds to EU data centre energy reporting scheme review DIGITALEUROPE responded to EUDCEAR's second technical report on the EU data centre energy efficiency rating scheme, backing a KPI based approach but opposing minimum performance standards while baseline data remains insufficient. Policy and lawCompute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted CEPA op-ed says Pax Silica chip alliance too vague to counter China CEPA's Christopher Cytera argues the US led Pax Silica chip alliance is structurally weak, noting Taiwan, the Netherlands and Germany, whose EUR 5 billion backed TSMC Dresden fab sits outside full membership, despite holding critical chokepoints. Compute and infrastructurePolicy and law VerifiedAbroadAI-drafted DIGITAL SME Alliance opinion: 2026 will make or break Europe's tech sovereignty DIGITAL SME Alliance publishes Antonio Grasso's piece arguing 2026's first 100 days will decide Europe's tech sovereignty, citing three US firms holding 65 percent of the EU cloud market and urging a simplified "28th regime", clearer procurement preference and easier talent visas. Industry, investment and R&DPolicy and law VerifiedAI-drafted DigitalEurope urges a European Quantum Act to scale up the industry DigitalEurope published a position paper urging the Commission's planned Quantum Act to streamline funding and governance, speed up procurement and avoid premature rules. It said Europe draws only 5 percent of global private quantum investment against over 50 percent for the US. Policy and lawIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted Former ASML chief Wennink urges EUR 150 billion plan for Dutch tech Former ASML chief executive Peter Wennink, in a report commissioned by the Dutch government, called for EUR 151 billion to EUR 187 billion of investment over ten years in digitalisation, AI, security and biotech. He said the EU-US corporate R&D gap had grown to EUR 700 billion a year. Policy and lawIndustry, investment and R&D ReportedEditor-read Kallas tells EU defence ministers Europe must keep boosting its own defences EU foreign and defence policy chief Kaja Kallas told the Foreign Affairs Council that Europe must keep boosting its own defences and called multiyear funding for Ukraine a "game changer", while SAFE plans from nineteen states await Commission evaluation. Defence and space VerifiedEditor-read Lagarde tells Europe it can still become AI's strong second mover ECB President Christine Lagarde told the BratislavAI Forum Europe missed AI's first wave but can still become a strong second mover. She urged minimum EU compute capacity, interoperable standards and deeper capital markets. Policy and lawIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedEditor-read Virkkunen says Europe's defence spending must fund EU built AI and quantum tech Commission Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen argued that around 10 percent of Europe's rising defence investment should go to artificial intelligence and quantum computing developed within the EU. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D ReportedEditor-read CEPA urges a risk tiered fix for the DMA's interoperability rules CEPA fellow Heather West urged the EU to reconcile the Digital Markets Act's interoperability duties with cybersecurity. She proposed a risk tiered access model under Article 6(7) and a formal role for ENISA in reviewing requests. Policy and lawCompute and infrastructure VerifiedAbroadAI-drafted Blair, Marin and Renzi urge Europe to become a sovereign AI power to rival US, China Tony Blair, Sanna Marin and Matteo Renzi write in a Tony Blair Institute report that Europe's place in the world is at risk and it must become a competitive, sovereign digital power to match the US and China in AI. Policy and lawIndustry, investment and R&D ReportedEditor-read SWP Berlin paper warns software supply chains are armed forces' Achilles heel SWP researcher Alexandra Paulus argues that software supply chains are an Achilles heel even for well funded armed forces, and urges Germany's defence ministry and the Bundeswehr to set clear accountability and procurement rules for the risk. Defence and spacePolicy and law VerifiedAI-drafted ICEYE executive says Europe must build independent space intelligence ICEYE vice president Joost Elstak said Europe needs independent space-intelligence capacity and a strong alliance rather than reliance on one ally, citing the US pause of intelligence-sharing with Ukraine in March 2025 as proof of the risk. Defence and space VerifiedEditor-read Ireland's Harris signals openness to EU SAFE loans for defence Tanaiste and defence minister Simon Harris told the Dail Ireland does not rule out drawing on the EU's EUR 150 billion SAFE loan facility if domestic defence funding falls short of plans. Defence and space ReportedEditor-read Blair and Hague urge UK to make major strategic bets on quantum computing Tony Blair and William Hague's Tony Blair Institute paper, published 3 November 2025, urges major UK investment, tax breaks and infrastructure spending in quantum computing. It warns Britain risks falling behind Germany, Canada and the Netherlands. Policy and lawIndustry, investment and R&D ReportedEditor-read Merz tells Hightech Agenda launch Europe must not cede the tech future Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the Hightech Agenda launch event that Germany must not let the United States and China alone decide the technological future. He named AI, quantum, microelectronics, biotechnology, fusion and climate neutral mobility as the priority fields. Policy and lawIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedEditor-read CISPE gives Broadcom red rating over VMware licensing practices CISPE's European Cloud Competition Observatory gave Broadcom its most critical red rating, saying VMware licence prices rose by a factor of ten or more after the acquisition. Policy and lawCompute and infrastructure VerifiedEditor-read Aschbacher says launcher independence is ESA's top priority ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said access to space through Europe's own launchers is the "number one priority". He noted Europe holds over 20 percent of global GDP but only about 10 percent of public space spending, against 60 percent for the US. Defence and space VerifiedEditor-read Mitsotakis tells POLITICO Europe needs a common defence loan facility Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis told POLITICO that defence is "the ultimate European public good" needing European funding, and floated a common European loan facility for defence projects. He pressed the same case at that week's European Council. Defence and spacePolicy and law ReportedEditor-read Think tanks urge EU wide buy European rules to save Europe's car industry CER's Sander Tordoir, the Jacques Delors Centre's Nils Redeker and Bertelsmann Stiftung's Lucas Guttenberg argue EU states should harmonise EV subsidies to cover only cars built in Europe, extending France's eco-bonus model. Policy and lawIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedEditor-read Aschbacher tells AFP Europe must build a reusable rocket fast to rival SpaceX Josef Aschbacher told AFP Europe must build a reusable rocket relatively fast to catch SpaceX. Five European companies are competing for ESA's reusable launcher demonstrator before a shortlist narrows the field. Defence and space VerifiedEditor-read Tuta leads European tech industry open letter against EU Chat Control plan Tuta, Proton and Mailfence led over 40 European tech companies and the European DIGITAL SME Alliance in an open letter opposing the EU's Chat Control proposal. Tuta chief executive Matthias Pfau said the signatories will never weaken or backdoor their encryption. Policy and law VerifiedEditor-read Commissioner Kubilius says Europe can compete with Starlink in space Commissioner Kubilius says Europe is "much more competitive than many assumed" in space and "can even compete with Starlink," arguing the bloc must build autonomous capability on ground, sea, sky and space rather than depend on outsiders. Industry, investment and R&DDefence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Draghi tells Brussels Europe must act like a federation, not a confederation Mario Draghi argued Europe must act "less like a confederation and more like a federation", citing the EU's three AI foundation models against the US's forty, and a trade deal struck partly on American terms because of defence dependence. Policy and lawIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedEditor-read CEPA says EU's USD 40 billion US chip pledge is aspirational, not binding CEPA's Pablo Chavez writes the EU's pledge to buy USD 40 billion of US AI chips under the August trade framework is "aspirational, rather than binding," naming no buyer, volume or date, and risks turning net negative. Industry, investment and R&DPolicy and law VerifiedAbroadAI-drafted CEPA's Bukowski urges Europe to build Baltic sensor networks CEPA's Maciej Filip Bukowski argues Europe must deploy integrated maritime sensor networks, including smart subsea cables, to counter Russian hybrid sabotage in the Baltic Sea. He urges interoperable, dual use detection over single vendor loyalty. Defence and space VerifiedAbroadAI-drafted DigitalEurope urges clearer CRA guidance on remote data processing DigitalEurope urged the European Commission to narrow the Cyber Resilience Act's definition of remote data processing. It wants one way data flows and general purpose cloud services excluded to cut compliance uncertainty for manufacturers. Policy and law VerifiedAI-drafted OpenForum Europe's Gates urges EU investment in open source for digital sovereignty OpenForum Europe policy advisor Nicholas Gates argues in Tech Policy Press that the EU should fund open source infrastructure through a Sovereign Tech Fund modelled on Germany's programme, rather than closed proprietary systems, to build digital sovereignty. Industry, investment and R&DPolicy and law ReportedEditor-read Eutelsat CEO Fallacher says Germany should be free to take a stake Eutelsat CEO Jean-Francois Fallacher told Der Spiegel Germany would be welcome to take a stake in the group, saying Europe needs OneWeb as an independent alternative to Starlink. Compute and infrastructureDefence and space ReportedEditor-read Microsoft's Brad Smith argues Europe should diversify AI, not seek independence Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith argued Europe should pursue AI competition and supplier diversity rather than exclusive technological independence, and said compliance with the Digital Markets Act is compatible with growth. Policy and law VerifiedAbroadEditor-read Siemens and SAP chiefs urge EU to rewrite AI Act and Data Act rules Siemens CEO Roland Busch and SAP CEO Christian Klein told FAZ the EU should rewrite the AI Act. They called the Data Act toxic for digital business models and said rules, not compute capacity, hold back AI adoption. Policy and law ReportedEditor-read Commissioner Kubilius says EU budget underfunding space risks dependence on the US EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said the next long-term EU budget must raise space funding above its roughly EUR 17 billion baseline, warning that underfunding risks strategic dependence on the US by 2035. Defence and space ReportedEditor-read DigitalEurope sets industry priorities for EU Cybersecurity Act revision DigitalEurope published industry priorities for the EU Cybersecurity Act revision. It urged that certification stay voluntary except for high-risk uses, full harmonisation of baselines, and an expanded ENISA mandate for certification and vulnerability management. Policy and law VerifiedAI-drafted CCIA Europe warns against nationality tests in ENISA certification role CCIA Europe said ENISA's role in the Cybersecurity Act revision should stay grounded in technical independence rather than non-technical criteria such as vendor nationality. This came as member states debated sovereignty requirements like EUCS and SecNumCloud. Policy and law ReportedEditor-read Arianespace and Avio call for binding European launcher preference rule Arianespace and Avio called on the EU to enshrine a binding European preference rule for institutional launches. They argued this would secure long-term investment for Ariane and Vega and protect Europe's independent access to space. Policy and lawDefence and space ReportedEditor-read Denmark's PM Frederiksen says rearming Europe outranks fiscal frugality Danish PM Mette Frederiksen said Denmark is leaving the fiscally cautious "Frugal Four" bloc to prioritise rearming Europe. She said Europe must be able to defend itself or "it's game over." Defence and space ReportedEditor-read Tech sovereignty commissioner Virkkunen defends DSA enforcement record Commissioner Henna Virkkunen argued DSA content removals are mostly platforms' own choice, not EU censorship, citing 99 percent stemming from firms' own terms of service. She touted 13 EU AI factories and a planned gigafactories call. Policy and law VerifiedAI-drafted Christodoulides ties Turkey's SAFE access to a Cyprus problem solution Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said he would support Turkish participation in the EU's SAFE defence fund only if Turkey's EU commitment is sincere, tying any opening to progress on the Cyprus problem. Defence and spacePolicy and law VerifiedAI-drafted ASML executive tells Dutch parliament tax policy consistency matters most ASML global affairs chief Frank Heemskerk told a Dutch parliamentary hearing that consistent tax and investment policy matters more than watching other countries, citing the reversed expat tax break as proof of instability. Policy and law ReportedAI-drafted Fincantieri CEO Folgiero says Europe must build underwater defence Fincantieri CEO Pierroberto Folgiero told the Financial Times Europe must take responsibility for Mediterranean underwater defence. He said higher defence budgets should be spent better, as Fincantieri's underwater unit targets 8 percent of revenue by 2027. Defence and space ReportedAI-drafted Mitsotakis ties Turkey's SAFE access to lifting its 1995 war threat Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Skai radio that Turkey must drop its 1995 "casus belli" threat over Aegean waters before Greece backs Turkish access to the EU's SAFE defence fund. Defence and space ReportedAI-drafted Von der Leyen says next EU research programme FP10 will stay self-standing Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU's next research programme, FP10, will stay a "self-standing" programme from 2028, while being "tightly connected" to the planned European Competitiveness Fund. She cited Horizon Europe's record of 33 Nobel prizes. Industry, investment and R&DPolicy and law ReportedAI-drafted EuropaNova chief Klossa urges Europe to build sovereign cloud platforms Guillaume Klossa, president of think tank EuropaNova, tells France24 Europe could build its own digital platforms and cloud capacity within five years. He urges debt funded investment and warns Europe risks becoming a "vassal". Compute and infrastructurePolicy and law VerifiedAI-drafted ESA chief Aschbacher says Europe must raise space spending for autonomy ESA's Josef Aschbacher said Europe must raise space investment to increase its autonomy, citing ESA's EUR 7700 million 2025 budget against NASA's much larger one. He described a "Plan B" of wider partners and more European launch capacity. Defence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Dombrovskis says Europe's "boring democracies" are a safe haven Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said Europe has fallen behind the US and China in advanced technologies and must close the gap, while shielding its industrial and technological base from unfair competition. Policy and law VerifiedAI-drafted OVHcloud CEO says cloud choice is now a strategic autonomy question OVHcloud CEO Benjamin Revcolevschi said trade tensions are pushing European firms to weigh cloud provider choice as a strategic, not just technical, question. He said strategic autonomy is now on company boards' agendas amid reliance on US hyperscalers. Compute and infrastructure ReportedAI-drafted SAP's Klein says Germany's digital ministry is good but not enough SAP chief executive Christian Klein said Germany's planned digital ministry is a good step but not enough, urging investment in sovereign cloud infrastructure and a low bureaucracy national rollout of the EU AI Act. Policy and law ReportedAI-drafted Von der Leyen tells Italy it will benefit greatly from Readiness 2030 Commission President von der Leyen told Corriere della Sera that Readiness 2030 is a massive investment plan from which Italy, with Leonardo and Fincantieri, will benefit greatly, while the EU should keep a constructive dialogue with Washington despite trade differences. Defence and space ReportedAI-drafted MBDA chief Eric Beranger says Europe already has what it needs for sovereignty At MBDA's annual press briefing in Paris, CEO Eric Beranger said Europe already has the technology, industrial capacity and people to be sovereign in missile production, and that achieving it is now a matter of political will, not capability. Defence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Arianespace CEO says geopolitical tensions prove Europe needs its own launch access Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès told the Satellite 2025 conference that tensions under the new Trump administration prove Europe needs its own means of accessing space. He cited growing institutional demand, including IRIS2, and a four-year launch backlog. Defence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Defence Commissioner Kubilius tells MEPs EU needs a 'big bang' on rearmament Defence Commissioner Kubilius told the European Parliament's ITRE committee the EU needs a big bang on defence, contrasting the EUR 800 billion mobilised fiscal space with EDIP's own EUR 1.5 billion budget and the 63 percent of procurement still bought from the US. Defence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Thales chief Patrice Caine warns governments against reliance on Starlink At Thales's results briefing, CEO Patrice Caine warned governments against depending on private satellite constellations, saying government actors need reliability and stability that most European states have instead sought by owning their own infrastructure. Defence and space ReportedAI-drafted Virkkunen says Commission will simplify overlapping EU tech rules in 2025 Commissioner Henna Virkkunen told reporters the Commission will table at least five simplification packages in 2025, including one addressing overlap between the AI Act, DSA, DMA and GDPR. She said simplification would not weaken enforcement of these rules. Policy and law ReportedAI-drafted CEPA's Majcin and Taylor urge Europe to build defence and industrial capacity CEPA's Juraj Majcin and Paul Taylor argue Europe must urgently build its defence, technology and industrial capacity. They urge governments to raise spending, borrow jointly, and have finance treat defence investment as a public good. Defence and space ReportedAbroadAI-drafted CEPA: France's AI strategy is a geopolitical third way, not sovereignty CEPA fellow Pablo Chavez argued France's AI strategy, built around Mistral and a EUR 109 billion investment coalition, is a third way between US and Chinese AI power, not solo sovereignty. Policy and lawIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAbroadAI-drafted Taoiseach Martin says Irish defence spending must rise as Baltic fears grow Taoiseach Micheal Martin told the Irish Examiner that Irish capital spending on defence would rise within two to three years, citing a radar system in tendering and fear among Baltic states over Russia. Defence and spacePolicy and law VerifiedAI-drafted EIB's Calviño says Europe must end strategic dependence on tech EIB President Nadia Calviño said Europe must end strategic dependence in energy, chips, technology and defence. She said EIB security and defence lending doubled to EUR 1 billion in 2024 and will double again in 2025. Policy and lawDefence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Starmer pitches 'ambitious' UK-EU defence and security partnership At an informal EU Council meeting in Brussels, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK wants 'an ambitious UK-EU security partnership' covering military technology and R&D, force mobility, critical infrastructure and deeper defence industrial collaboration. Defence and spacePolicy and law VerifiedAI-drafted Luxembourg's Frieden backs France's made in EU arms procurement push Luxembourg's prime minister Luc Frieden said in Brussels that he backs France's push for the EU to prioritise "made in the EU" military equipment, arguing Europe must become more self reliant in defence procurement. Defence and spacePolicy and law ReportedAI-drafted DIGITALEUROPE warns of fragmentation as 23 states miss NIS2 deadline DIGITALEUROPE's NIS2 transposition overview says Brussels opened infringement proceedings against 23 member states that missed the 17 October 2024 deadline; only four states had transposed within two months, it warns of fragmentation. Policy and law VerifiedAI-drafted Commissioner Virkkunen tells MEPs EU must become a true AI continent EU tech sovereignty commissioner Henna Virkkunen told MEPs the EU must become a true AI continent. The same day, 35 NGOs wrote to von der Leyen urging continued DSA and DMA enforcement against Big Tech lobbying. Policy and law ReportedAI-drafted Commissioner Kubilius urges EU preference, autonomous access to space launchers At the 17th European Space Conference, EU space commissioner Andrius Kubilius said Europe must not rely on third-country rockets. He called for a long-term European launcher policy, European preference rules and a future EU Space Law. Defence and space ReportedAI-drafted ESA chief Aschbacher defends geo-return as "fundamental" against reform calls ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher told reporters after ESA's 330th Council Meeting that geo-return, which ties contracts to states' financial contributions, is fundamental and strongly supported. He spoke as a Tiger Team reviewed easing it for the Launcher Challenge. Policy and lawDefence and space ReportedAI-drafted EU defence commissioner Kubilius calls for 'big bang' arms financing EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told Reuters Europe needs "big-bang" joint procurement and finance within about a year, proposing a front-loading facility repaid later from national defence budgets. Defence and space ReportedAI-drafted EU tech sovereignty nominee Virkkunen sets out plan for Cloud and AI Act Henna Virkkunen, the EU's Commissioner-designate for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, told MEPs in written answers she will propose a Cloud and AI Development Act. She also outlined an AI Factories Initiative and an Apply AI Strategy. Policy and law ReportedAI-drafted ASML CEO Fouquet argues Western chip subsidies must be temporary, not permanent ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet said Western chip subsidies should be temporary, used to fix the industry's cost and flexibility problems rather than sustained indefinitely, while predicting Asia will stay the dominant production base for years. Compute and infrastructureIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted Borrell says EU must end trade-security split as arms purchases go abroad Josep Borrell wrote that 78 percent of EU armed forces' equipment bought since Russia's invasion came from outside the Union, with only 18 percent of orders placed jointly. He urged ending the EU's split between trade and security policy. Defence and spacePolicy and law VerifiedAI-drafted Meta, SAP, Ericsson and dozens of firms urge EU to ease AI data rules SAP chief executive Christian Klein joined Meta, Ericsson and dozens of firms in an open letter urging the EU to issue faster, harmonised privacy rulings so European data can train AI models. It warned fragmented rules risk leaving Europe behind the US and China. Policy and law VerifiedAI-drafted CEPA says Northvolt crisis exposes fragility of Europe's battery sovereignty bet CEPA's Ronan Murphy and Oona Lagercrantz argue Northvolt's crisis shows Europe's battery sovereignty bet is faltering. They write the firm still depends on Chinese materials despite being pitched as Europe's answer to Chinese battery dominance. Industry, investment and R&D VerifiedAbroadAI-drafted SAP CEO Christian Klein urges EU to unify fragmented sovereign cloud rules In a Fortune interview, SAP CEO Christian Klein said the EU's 27 separate national sovereign cloud rules fragment the market and hamper innovation, especially for smaller firms; he urged unifying regulation and freeing data flows across Europe. Compute and infrastructurePolicy and law VerifiedAI-drafted Scholz warns nationalism threatens Germany's chip investment at Dresden groundbreaking At the TSMC-led ESMC chip plant's construction start in Dresden, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany needs to stay "pro-European" and "open to the world". He warned that nationalism and resentment endanger investment in key technologies. Policy and lawIndustry, investment and R&D ReportedAI-drafted CEPA says NATO still lacks legally sound rules to shield subsea cable links CEPA argues NATO still lacks legally sound rules for responding to hybrid attacks on subsea cables, saying national efforts stay fragmented without alliance level coordination despite its Maritime Centre for critical undersea infrastructure. Compute and infrastructureDefence and space ReportedAbroadAI-drafted Mistral AI CEO Mensch says Europe must choose its own AI path, back sovereign compute Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch said Europe should "in all independence" choose how to grow its AI ecosystem, defended open-weight models and urged European cloud partners for sovereign compute, while calling the EU AI Act "workable" for his firm. Policy and law VerifiedAI-drafted Von der Leyen pledges a European Defence Union in re-election guidelines Presenting her re-election guidelines to Parliament on 18 July 2024, Ursula von der Leyen made defence a priority, pledging a "European Defence Union" and a white paper on European defence within the new Commission's first 100 days. Defence and spacePolicy and law ReportedEditor-read CEPA: Atos breakup shows France choosing nationalism over EU sovereignty CEPA's Jeremy Epstein argued that France's push to steer Atos's cybersecurity, supercomputing and military units to a French buyer over a Czech bidder shows national interest, not EU sovereignty, driving the deal, warning this undercuts Europe's broader sovereignty ambitions. Compute and infrastructurePolicy and law VerifiedAbroadAI-drafted Draghi's Yuste speech sets out an EU industrial strategy for sovereignty Accepting Spain's Carlos V prize, Mario Draghi argued Europe must close a EUR 270 billion yearly research gap, build a single energy market and reduce dependence on untrusted suppliers in defence, space, minerals and pharma. Industry, investment and R&DPolicy and law VerifiedAI-drafted Saab's Johansson tells EU summit Europe must spend on its own defence industry Saab CEO Micael Johansson told the European Defence and Security Summit in Brussels that Europe has to take bigger responsibility for spending on its own defence industry, rather than buying equipment abroad. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted Draghi speech: Europe under invests in tech, needs an industrial deal Draghi said Europe underinvests in digital and defence technology against the US and China, with only four European firms among the world's top 50 tech companies, and urged joint procurement and an EU critical minerals platform. Industry, investment and R&DPolicy and law VerifiedAI-drafted Bruegel's Wolff says EU defence strategy underfunds and overstates ambition Bruegel senior fellow Guntram Wolff argued the EU's new defence industrial strategy sets an unrealistic target of cutting non EU arms imports below 50 percent by 2030, backed by inadequate EUR 1.5 billion funding. Defence and space ReportedAI-drafted Von der Leyen tells EU Parliament to spend European on defence industry In a speech to the European Parliament on 28 February 2024, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen argued Europe must spend more, spend better and spend European on defence, previewing a forthcoming EU defence industrial strategy. Policy and lawDefence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Von der Leyen tells Munich conference EU will unveil defence industrial strategy Commission President von der Leyen told the Munich Security Conference the EU would present a defence industrial strategy within three weeks. She urged joint procurement, spending in Europe and a dedicated EU defence commissioner post. Policy and lawDefence and space ReportedAI-drafted