A master thesis from Aalborg University
The European Union: Technology Narratives and Regulation Beyond the World Wide Web - Towards a Post-Sovereign Digital (Security) Regime: The European Union: Technology Narratives and Regulation Beyond the World Wide Web - Towards a Post-Sovereign Digital (Security) Regime
[The European Union: Technology Narratives and Regulation Beyond the World Wide Web - Towards a Post-Sovereign Digital (Security) Regime]
Author(s)
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-05-25
Pages
76 pages
Abstract
This thesis investigates the European Union’s (EU) evolving approach to digital sovereignty as a component of its broader strategic autonomy agenda in the context of global digital governance. With rising concerns over external dependencies on the United States (US) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the EU has increasingly sought to position itself as a normative power, promoting values-based regulation and autonomy in the digital sphere. Drawing from constructivist epistemology, the study examines how the EU’s digital sovereignty narrative impacts member state (MS) alignment, considering the interplay of governance challenges, Europeanisation of identity, and technological capacity asymmetries. Through a comparative analysis of Germany, Hungary, and Sweden, three EU MSs with differing technological baselines and political identities, the study explores the extent of norm diffusion and regime compliance under strategic initiatives such as Gaia-X, the 5G Security Toolbox, and edge computing. Employing Normative Power Europe and regime theory as theoretical frameworks, it argues that the EU’s success in achieving a coherent digital sovereignty strategy depends on more than formal compliance; it requires the internalisation of shared norms and collective identity across its members. Findings reveal substantial variation in national implementation strategies, reflecting disparities in digital infrastructure, ideological commitment, and geopolitical alignments. While the EU seeks to transcend Westphalian models through a post-sovereign security regime, practical implementation is challenged by fragmented governance and uneven MS commitment. This thesis contributes to an understanding of the EU’s identity construction in digital governance and its viability as a global actor in a geopolitically-contested digital order.
Documents
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