30. April 2026

Policy Brief on Europe’s Digital Decade Digital trade trap? A wake-up call for the EU’s Digital Decade

In collaboration with the Vodafone Institute, a team from CASSIS has examined digital dependencies in a policy brief. The innovative analysis reveals concerning challenges for Europe’s digital future: On one hand, Ireland’s disproportionate influence on the continent’s digital trade balance, and on the other, an excessive dependence on China in the trade of digital goods.

Policy Brief on Europe’s Digital Decade
Policy Brief on Europe’s Digital Decade © CASSIS
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To address these challenges, the policy brief offers concrete recommendations: For instance, Europe should not only pursue a coordinated industrial policy as well as trade policy. It should also seek strategic trade partnerships and multi-aligned diplomacy that ensure the continent’s agency vis-à-vis the two digital giants: China and the United States.

The policy brief was developed in collaboration with the Vodafone Institute, Vodafone’s European think tank. The analysis is part of a series designed to examine Europe's digital dependencies, as well as the challenges and opportunities they present.

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Prof. Dr. Maximilian Mayer
Junior-Professor for International Relations and Global Politics of Technology
Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) 
Universität Bonn
Tel. +49 (0)228/73 5640
E-Mail: maximilian.mayer@uni-bonn.de 

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