Author: Barbara Giulia Le Rose
Committee: EU Institutions Committee
Date: 18/02/2026
People in Europe are really worried as Donald Trump returned to the White House. This time it is not only about taxes on imports or how countries talk to each other. It is also about who has control. The kind of control that comes from the internet and computers. Donald Trump going back to the White House has Europe holding its breath. In the few years the people in charge in Brussels have been working very hard to make a special place on the internet just for Europe. Like a special road that people in Europe can use. This European Way as rules that help keep people not big tech companies. The people in Europe want to make sure that Donald Trump and big companies do not have all the power over the internet and computers. Donald Trumps return to the White House is a deal, for Europe. But with Trump’s return, the very idea of European digital sovereignty is once again under threat.
From his first week in office, Trump has revived his signature doctrine: American First. More tariffs, more pressure, fewer compromises. To him, Europe’s digital regulations – like the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act – are “anti- American tools” designed to restrain U. S. tech giants. To Brussels, they are necessary safeguards to restore fairness and transparency in a digital world dominated by Silicon Valley. Two opposite visions. Two different ideas of freedom. And in between, a continent trying not to be crushed between two technological superpowers.
Behind the rhetoric lies a simple truth: whoever controls data, controls the future. Over 70% of Europe’s cloud services are provided by U. S. companies. Most of the apps, platforms and social networks Europeans use every day are governed by American law. So, who really owns Europe’s cyberspace? Brussels knows the answer isn’t reassuring. That’s why the EU is investing in its own infrastructure – the GAIA-X project, homegrown microchips, and European artificial intelligence. Not to isolate itself, but to stop depending on others.
The European Commission has responded to Washington’s pressure with unusual firmness. It has vowed not to rewrite its laws to please the United States, while activating economic defense tools to protect its market from potential coercion or trade retaliation. At the same time, Europe knows it cannot live on defense alone. It must diversify its partnerships – strengthening ties with Asia, Africa and Latin America – and build a stronger internal digital market, where European startups can grow without being crushed by American or Chinese giants.
Defending digital sovereignty doesn’t mean building walls; it means creating alternatives. It’s about imagining a model of innovation where technology serves democracy, not the other way around. A model that puts human – not algorithms – at the center. Italy, in this vision, has a lot to offer: agile tech companies, strong research centers, and a tradition of creative engineering that could become an asset for all of Europe.
Trump’s second term forces Europe to make a choice: remain a spectator in the U. S. – China rivalry or become the author of its own future. Digital sovereignty, in the end, is not just about economics. It’s about freedom. In a world ruled by AI, data and code, controlling your technology means controlling yourself. If Europe wants to matter, it must learn to walk on its own – and only then, speak to the world as an equal, even to Trump.