CTRL+ALT+Europe? – Reflections from the TUM Think Tank community
Europeans want European tech. But do they trust Europe to deliver it? Five researchers from the TUM Think Tank community reflect on the new ETRS policy brief CTRL+ALT+Europe?.
72% of Europeans consider it important that Europe controls its key digital technologies and infrastructure. Yet only 49% are familiar with the term "digital sovereignty", and just 43% think Europe succeeds in regulating digital services from outside the continent.
These are among the findings of CTRL+ALT+Europe?, a new policy brief by Martin Hullin and Daniela Schmidt, published by the Bertelsmann Stiftung on 2 November 2026 and presented at a side event of the German Digital Summit. It draws on a representative eupinions survey of 16,795 people across all 27 EU member states, conducted in June 2026. The survey questions were co-designed with members of the European Network for Technological Resilience & Sovereignty (ETRS).
As members of the ETRS network, we asked researchers from our community what stood out to them. Their reflections point in one direction: support for European alternatives is there, but it rests on trust. People need to trust that Europe can deliver, enforce its rules and include them in shaping its digital future.
What our community has to say
Timo Seidl: "Europeans are not yet sold – but could be"
"As digital sovereignty leaves the cloister walls of policy debates for the marketplace of everyday life, the Bertelsmann study shows that Europeans are not yet sold – but could be. They are supportive of the principles and many policies, but it remains unclear to what extent and at what cost. Support, though, seems to be a function of trust: that Europe can deliver and that European alternatives are viable."
Markus Wünschelbaum: "The debate misses what people care about"
Only 49% of Europeans know the term "digital sovereignty" – yet 72% want European control over key digital technologies.
"Half of those surveyed in the study are unfamiliar with the term digital sovereignty, I think because the debate misses what they care about: 78% want legal protection in Europe if a digital service fails. If sanctions can restrict a judge's access to essential services, politics should use existing laws to guarantee a right to stay connected. This could turn abstract support into trust in sovereignty."
Sofie Schönborn: "What does sovereignty mean to different groups?"
79% of centre-left respondents consider European control over key digital technologies important, compared with 41% on the far right. And 83% consider transparency and security important for digital systems in healthcare, elections and justice.
"The political pattern surprised me: 79% of centre-left respondents consider European control over key digital technologies important, compared with 41% on the far right. It raises a question about what sovereignty means to different groups. I would like to see these findings examined alongside institutional trust and preferences for national versus European control."
"What stands out to me is that 83% consider transparency and security important for digital systems in healthcare, elections and justice. This gives the sovereignty debate a concrete societal purpose. I see an opportunity to connect European technological capabilities to services people can rely on, decisions they can scrutinise and rights they can enforce."
"I would like to see public investment and procurement tied to verifiable outcomes: transparent and secure systems, interoperability, credible switching options and effective legal remedies. These requirements should reflect the risks of each use case. The willingness to consider European alternatives is an opportunity to build capabilities that expand people's and institutions' ability to act."
Maria Koomen: "The delivery gap undercuts both"
78% back legal recourse in Europe when a digital service causes harm, but only 43% think Europe succeeds in regulating digital services from outside the continent.
"With 78% backing legal recourse in Europe when a digital service causes harm, it's heartening that most Europeans want more accountable tech, but unsurprising that only 43% think Europe succeeds in bringing foreign platforms into line. Digital sovereignty – and public support for it – needs more sustained, predictable enforcement by an independent EU regulator, or the delivery gap undercuts both."
Fernanda Sauca: "Innovation is a political settlement"
73% want European consumers to have a say in how digital technologies are developed.
"One key finding stayed with me: people can identify measures needed to safeguard digital infrastructure, including having a say in how new technologies are developed. This raises broader questions that any articulation of sovereignty should address: What direction is our technological pathway taking? Who bears the risks of innovation, and who shares in its rewards? Answering these questions is not simply about aligning innovation policy with desired societal goals. It's also about demonstrating institutional capacity: the ability to make strategic choices about which existing strengths to build on, which new capabilities to develop, and how to distribute the returns. Sovereignty strategies must recognize that innovation is a political settlement as much as a technical one, and that it presumes public trust in progress and a credible promise of meaningful participation."
Read the policy brief
"CTRL+ALT+Europe?" calls on European policymakers to combine investment in technological capabilities with effective regulation. It argues for open, interoperable and decentralised infrastructure, and for explaining digital sovereignty in language the public can relate to.
About the ETRS network
The European Network for Technological Resilience & Sovereignty (ETRS) brings together research expertise from across Europe. It aims to build a shared understanding of digital sovereignty and translate it into practical policies that strengthen Europe's technological independence. The TUM Think Tank is a member of the network. Learn more about ETRS.
Our thanks go to Martin Hullin, Daniela Schmidt and the ETRS team at the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
