Achieving digital sovereignty has become one of Europe’s main strategic challenges. In a scenario marked by the advance of artificial intelligence, the growing dependence on big technology companies and competition with the United States and China, citizens demand to strengthen the technological autonomy of the continent. In fact, 86% of Spaniards consider that Europe should develop its own technologies to gain competitiveness and reduce its dependence on the outside. This is stated in the Digital Sovereignty in Europe 2026 Report, prepared by Fundación Telefónica and Metroscopia.
The study reveals that eight out of ten Spaniards consider that the European economy depends a lot or quite a lot on technology companies from other countrieswhile 69% believe that the continent is lagging behind the United States and China in technological innovation.
Technological dependence, a real threat
The survey also shows that technological dependency is perceived as a security problem. 62% of those surveyed consider that this situation represents a threat to Europeespecially in areas such as artificial intelligence and digital payment systems.
Despite this, the concept of digital sovereignty remains little known: only 29% of Spaniards claim to have heard of this term. However, its implications generate widespread concern, regardless of age, gender or place of residence.
The report recalls that digital sovereignty is not limited to the development of applications or platforms, but also encompasses critical infrastructures, data centers, telecommunications, cybersecurity, data protection, innovation, talent and industrial capacity.
The Spanish would support European platforms
The research also reflects that there is a clear predisposition to use solutions developed in Europe. Although 67% admit that they are not currently familiar with European technology platforms, 70% affirm that they would opt for a European alternative if it offered the same benefits as a foreign company.
“These data show an opportunity to promote a European technological ecosystem capable of responding to citizens’ demands in areas such as security, competitiveness, ethics and data protection,” Telefónica explains.
Privacy and personal data, another of the great concerns
The use of personal data is another of the aspects that most concern citizens. Nine out of ten Spaniards are concerned about the access of large technology platforms to their banking datawhile 85% fear about asset and tax information.
Likewise, concern also extends to location and mobility data (79%) and health information (78%), which highlights the growing sensitivity of the population regarding the use of their personal information in the digital environment.
Greater push from governments
The study concludes that citizens consider greater involvement of public administrations to be essential. 87% of those surveyed believe that European governments should actively promote the development of their own technologies to reduce foreign dependence.
Among the capabilities considered strategic, cybersecurity and telecommunications networks stand out, indicated as priorities by 86% of Spaniards. Next are data centers (83%) and cloud computing services (79%).
Despite the concerns, the perception about the future is moderately optimistic. More than half of those surveyed are confident that European technological sovereignty will increase over the next decadereflecting the conviction that Europe still has room to strengthen its position in an increasingly competitive global scenario.
To contribute to this objective, Fundación Telefónica has promoted Think&Do Tech, a European space designed to connect strategic thinking with the capacity for action. The initiative seeks to promote cooperation between administrations, companies and other agents in the technological ecosystem in order to strengthen Europe’s digital capabilities, reduce strategic dependencies and promote a competitive, scalable, ethical technological model aligned with European democratic values.
“Our commitment is to work to reduce this dependence in strategic areas by promoting competitiveness, innovation and European leadership. To this end, at Fundación Telefónica we encourage debate and cooperation between European industrial agents to develop scale technologies that are as competitive as they are ethical,” says Isabel Salazar, general director of Fundación Telefónica.