Nearly 100 organizations in the European Union have signed an open letter that urges the bloc to become more technologically independent.

The group published the document today. 

The signatories include aerospace company Airbus SE, cloud provider OVH Groupe SA and chipmaker SiPearl. The firms backing the initiative were joined by multiple tech industry associations. The letter is addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s Executive Vice President for Technology Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.

The signatories state that “Europe needs to recover the initiative, and become more technologically independent across all layers of its critical digital infrastructure.” Artificial intelligence, chips and data storage hardware are listed among the technologies that the effort should address. 

The signatories argue that achieving technological independence requires the EU to develop a “continent-wide strategy.” The initiative would see the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, organize working groups with private sector players to implement the strategy. The letter goes on to recommend several goals that those working groups should prioritize.

The first recommendation is that the EU public sector buy more information technology products from suppliers based in the bloc. Such a procurement strategy, the letter argues, would incentivize local tech firms to invest more in product development. The signatories believe that shifting IT spending to local suppliers quickly will require prioritizing product categories “where Europe can already deliver.”

The letter also recommends that policymakers take a “pooling and federating” approach to boosting the EU’s technology supply chain. Such a policy would support products that are available under an open-source license, interoperate well with one another or both. The signatories believe this initiative should prioritize products that address “real needs” such as improving cybersecurity.

The second part of the letter recommends that the EU support the local tech sector through funding programs.

According to the signatories, the bloc should create a sovereign infrastructure fund to invest in capital-intensive technologies such as chips. The European Investment Bank, the EU’s bank, would provide a “significant additional commitment of funds” under the proposed plan. The signatories add that member states’ innovation and funding agencies could play a role as well.

The EU’s Digital Decade program is another focus of the open letter. The signatories argue that the initiative, which is designed to support the bloc’s technology modernization efforts, should provide funding to “tangible, market relevant, result-oriented projects.”

“Europe will lose out on digital innovation and productivity growth without sweeping and urgent change – our reliance on non-European technologies will become almost complete in less than three years at current rates,” the signatories wrote. “Time is of the essence, and industry is prepared to invest if there are conditions for viable returns.”

Image: Unsplash