The European Union is an economic and political union composed of 27 European countries, with a structure different from traditional nation states and lacking exclusive and absolute management rights. In the context of the digital age, digital issues and geopolitical tensions have made "digital sovereignty" a key concern for the European Union, and the EU has begun to attach importance to the strategy of regaining sovereignty.

1、 The European Union and Traditional Sovereignty

Explored the historical evolution of the concept of sovereignty and its practice in the context of the European Union. From the core concept of "sovereignty" proposed by Jean Bodin in the 16th century, to the Westphalian system establishing equal sovereignty rights of states, and to the constraints of international mechanisms and democratic ideas on state power in the 20th century, the principle of sovereignty has always been that states have the highest and exclusive power over their jurisdictional areas. The emergence of the European Union is a reduction in the sovereignty of nation states. The creation of supranational institutions through voluntary agreements among member states undermines their autonomy in areas such as justice and trade, and creates external sovereignty that can replace or even surpass the functions of nation state sovereignty. In the process of authorization and integration, EU member states have relinquished a considerable degree of sovereignty, causing decision-making areas such as human rights, currency, and immigration to be outside the scope of domestic institutional authority, giving up ultimate control over decisions related to the EU common market, and subverting the traditional concept of sovereignty.

2、 The Evolution of EU Sovereignty Strategy Measures in the Digital Age

Discussed the evolution of the EU's sovereignty strategy measures in the digital age. Initially, the EU adopted a negative attitude towards sovereignty, avoiding the use of the term 'sovereignty' and emphasizing the priority and direct effectiveness of EU law. British scholar Ian Manners proposed the concept of "normative power", believing that the EU should go beyond traditional sovereignty concepts and convey European values. However, this concept ignores traditional sovereignty concepts and weakens the legitimacy of sovereignty of other countries. With the globalization of the digital economy, the European Union is facing geopolitical challenges and sovereignty demands in the digital field, and has begun to adopt a more proactive strategy for safeguarding sovereignty. After 2015, EU policies tended towards protectionism, such as restricting the collection and transmission of European citizen data by American internet technology companies, approving the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and increasing economic sanctions in the digital sector. GDPR imposes strict restrictions on data intensive companies, rejects various big data business models, greatly increases administrative fines, and has enforceability. EU leaders have successively proposed initiatives to attach importance to European sovereignty, emphasizing that digital sovereignty is the core of European strategic autonomy. The EU's strategic measures have shifted from defending multilateralism to ensuring its own interests and benchmarking the geopolitical positioning of China and the United States in the field of technology, linking sovereignty with the flow of information and technology in the digital field, and strengthening control.

3、 Geopolitical factors driving EU digital sovereignty

The rising geopolitical risks have directly intensified the EU's demand for digital sovereignty. The strong penetration and wide coverage characteristics of the digital economy have enabled geopolitical competition to transcend traditional geopolitical limitations, and the lack of formal sovereignty and authority of the European Union is particularly prominent in the digital field. Geopolitical risks manifest as the impact of economic dependence, armed threats, terrorism, and major power intervention on national sovereignty and security. The international geopolitical situation is tense, major power games and regional security hotspots are difficult to cool down, and the digital field has become a key focus of geopolitical competition between countries. The asymmetric dependence caused by the digital technology gap enables the dominant party to have the initiative in controlling data resources and technological networks. The United States regards digital technology as an important means of geopolitical competition, while the European Union pursues technological independence and adheres to the principle of multilateralism as the basis for cooperation with the United States. The EU is actively formulating regulations in the digital field, going beyond the traditional concept of "boundedness" in sovereignty, requiring non EU established data processors and controllers to also apply EU data protection laws. The EU maintains its sovereignty in geopolitical competition through this approach. The digital field exhibits weak geopolitical characteristics, leading to a global trend in geopolitical influence and a lack of unified, clear, and legitimate international norms. Some countries engage in technological monopolies, data theft, and public opinion control through digital giants, damaging the sovereignty of other countries to achieve their own geopolitical goals. In this context, the EU's relative disadvantage in the digital field and its independent geopolitical demands have prompted it to actively adopt geopolitical measures and call for digital sovereignty to safeguard its own power.

4、 The Practical Path of EU Digital Sovereignty

Discussed the EU's practical path towards digital sovereignty in the context of the digital revolution. Digital sovereignty includes three parts: data sovereignty, digital technology sovereignty, and cyberspace sovereignty. In terms of data sovereignty, the EU attaches great importance to data protection and has become a global benchmark for data protection through regulations such as GDPR, and has imposed financial sanctions on digital enterprises to protect data sovereignty. However, the non competitive and replicable nature of data poses challenges to the digital development of the European Union, while the new data transmission protocol between Europe and the United States, the European and American Data Privacy Framework, poses new challenges to EU data sovereignty. There is a high degree of asymmetric dependence between the European Union and the United States in the digital field, with American tech giants monopolizing the EU market and endangering EU data sovereignty.

5、 Conclusion

The EU's increasing demand for digital sovereignty in the context of the digital age has transformed its previous sovereignty strategy measures. Digital sovereignty includes three parts: data sovereignty, digital technology sovereignty, and cyberspace sovereignty, which are interrelated and influence each other. Data sovereignty is the foundation, and the EU plays a leading role in data protection. GDPR lays the foundation for the implementation of digital sovereignty. Digital technology sovereignty is key, and the EU prioritizes technological development as a core priority, providing funding for digital technology development and improving the digital market environment. The sovereignty of cyberspace relies on the EU issuing relevant laws to regulate the digital market, providing support for data protection and technological development.