Digital Sovereignty and the Green Transition

This book is the first investigation of the environmental impact of EU digital sovereignty strategies. It maps the ambitions and limitations of EU digital strategic autonomy and explores the structural challenges underlying its relationship with sustainability objectives in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the consequent tensions in the EU energy sector. The EU is racing to achieve technological independence from third countries and foreign multinational companies to protect its digital sovereignty and preserve its fundamental rights. In the EU, digitalisation and the green transformation are seen as twin transitions. Yet, EU digital sovereignty strategies have a significant environmental cost. Reaching a status of strategic autonomy of the EU at the level of digital infrastructures, products, services and data implies higher energy consumption and exploitation of natural resources. Moreover, the geopolitical tensions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine have provoked an unprecedented energy crisis, which is affecting EU economies and impacting objectives of the twin transitions. The book offers an interdisciplinary analysis of the major EU regulatory and policy instruments in this field, providing an invaluable guide for academics, practitioners, and policymakers navigating the complex issues of preserving digital sovereignty and addressing climate change in times of war and energy crisis.