Connect Europe has welcomed the European Commission’s goal of strengthening Europe’s digital infrastructure, cloud capacity, and AI capabilities as part of efforts to boost technological sovereignty and competitiveness.

The organisation said Europe’s ambitions in cloud and AI will depend not only on supply-side measures, but also on stronger demand-side policies. It highlighted the role of public authorities as key customers, arguing that long-term contracts, procurement strategies, and guaranteed capacity commitments could help unlock investment in European cloud and edge infrastructure.

It also stressed that Europe will need a more investment-friendly regulatory environment, faster infrastructure deployment, and reliable access to affordable and sustainable energy to support growing computing demand. According to Connect Europe, scale remains a key challenge for capital-intensive digital infrastructure, and market conditions may need to evolve to support greater investment across the cloud and AI value chain.

The group also called for a common EU framework for sovereign cloud services, particularly for sensitive public-sector applications, saying this could improve trust and strengthen Europe’s digital ecosystem.

Overall, Connect Europe backed an “ambitious and pragmatic” approach to cloud and AI policy, while urging the Commission to ensure that future proposals translate into clear, workable measures that improve competitiveness, resilience, and technological sovereignty.