Macron says Europe must stop being 'client' of US, China in digital race

French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that Europe risks losing control of its digital future unless it stops relying on American and Chinese technology companies, and builds its own industrial champions.

Macron told the Summit on European Digital Sovereignty in Berlin that Europe "does not want to be the client of the big entrepreneurs or the big solutions being provided, either from the US or from China."

He stressed that full dependence on foreign platforms would undermine competitiveness and democratic resilience.

"If we let the Americans and the Chinese have all the champions, one thing is certain: we may have the best regulations in the world, but we won't be regulating anything," he said.

"Our goal is to design our own solutions, preserve our sovereignty, and refuse to become a vassal," he said.

Macron said the EU had entered a new phase of global technological competition spanning AI, cloud services, semiconductors and quantum computing.

Calling for a "Franco-German reflex" on digital policy, he said the geopolitical landscape demanded coordinated European action, including simplified regulations, deeper capital markets and priority support for European companies in public procurement.

He also backed stronger safeguards for European data and warned of "extraterritorial enforcement of foreign laws" if the bloc continues storing sensitive information on non-European platforms.

Macron said Europe has "all the assets to succeed," pointing to its talent pool, expanding computing capacity and a 450-million-strong single market.

But he stressed that execution is now paramount. "Adoption is the new race. If we want to be sovereign, we must innovate, protect the key building blocks and accelerate the rise of European leaders," he added.