Emphasis on Europe’s Digital Sovereignty: Gaia-X Takes Centre Stage at the 2025 Digital Summit

Europe is hosting its first-ever European Summit on Digital Sovereignty. Invited by the Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation, leaders from politics, public administration, industry, and academia across the continent are convening to shape strategies for a sovereign and innovation-driven Europe.

Gaia-X is featured as one of six flagship initiatives, presented through its own interactive pavilion.

The project illustrates how sovereign data exchange can unlock innovation, advance climate goals, and create economic value.

Real-world use cases, such as the Community-X municipal data space in the German village of Etteln (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Gaia-X’s collaboration with France’s Industry Data Space initiative Data4Industry-X demonstrate that Europe’s digital sovereignty is already becoming reality.

Thomas Jarzombek, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation, stresses the strategic importance of interoperable, sovereign data spaces:

Gaia-X drives digital innovation and strengthens sovereignty. At the same time, it enables close collaboration between business, science, and the public sector. This alliance is essential to share data sovereignly across industries and sectors. Only in this way can we enable the next level of innovation.

Ulrich Ahle, CEO of the Gaia-X European Association for Data and Cloud (AISBL), reinforces this message:

Digital sovereignty is created through trust, openness and common standards. Gaia-X creates a foundation on which data spaces can function interoperably and securely – so that Europe not only preserves data, but also actively develops its innovative strength and competitiveness. This is demonstrated here in the practical examples that mark the transition from ideas to real impact.

Dr. Abel Reiberg, Head of the Gaia-X Hub Germany, adds:

Gaia-X lays the foundation for a digital Europe that uses its data sovereignly. The upcoming Digital Summit provides an important opportunity to jointly demonstrate how open, secure, and interoperable data spaces can make business and society more resilient and innovative.

About Gaia-X Hub Germany

Since its foundation in 2020, Gaia-X Hub Germany has been the central point of contact for anyone interested in the exchange of data in open data ecosystems. Its goal is to support the development of an international data economy that is in line with European values and economic structures. The Gaia-X Hub promotes the development and use of Gaia-X in Germany. As a networking platform, the Hub brings together representatives from science, business, politics and society to exchange experiences, gain insights and put them into practice together. In addition to the German Gaia X Hub, there are currently 19 other national hubs within the EU and 7 outside Europe.

The Digital Summit continues in Portugal from the 19th – 21st November.