When the US suspended access to Anthropic's latest AI models last week, it reminded Europe that rules can change overnight. At VivaTech in Paris, France and Germany said the answer is sovereignty — and the window to build it is now.
The French and German economy and digital ministers issued a joint call to action at the opening of the VivaTech conference in Paris on Wednesday, arguing that Europe must move quickly to build genuine technological sovereignty or risk being left behind as a spectator in the decade's defining technological shift.
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France’s minister for the economy, finance, industry and energy sovereignty, Roland Lescure, opened with an honest acknowledgement of the mood in the room.
"I can see some of us are worried [about the risks of artificial intelligence] — and worry is good. Concern is good," he said, though he cautioned against fear as a guide. "None of us is going to do it alone."
Drawing on the historic role of the Franco-German relationship, he argued that when the two nations align, “Europe moves”.
"I am convinced that France and Germany can make it — and be at the heart of what comes next. The next 10 years will be important," he said.
Germany’s Federal Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation, Karsten Wildberger, addressed the United States' decision last week to ban Anthropic’s latest artificial intelligence models for foreign nationals, including the company’s employees.
"The suspension of access to the most advanced models makes one thing clear to everyone," he said. "This is no longer an access debate; rules can change overnight, and sovereignty means we can still act if things like that happen," he said.
Wildberger then said AI sovereignty is not protectionism but a necessity for agency. "Sovereignty is not isolation. It is openness from a position of strength," added.
As for Germany, he said the country is implementing a national data centre strategy with a target of quadrupling AI capacity by 2030. The country is also working on a sovereign cloud infrastructure.
But he said that government alone cannot carry the effort. "The heroes here are the great startups," he said. "Europe can do innovation, and we do scale, and we do matter."
Both ministers pointed to new bilateral initiatives between France and Germany as the practical starting point.
"When we pull our technologies together, we shape what comes next," the German minister said. "We will not be spectators of the years ahead."
Europe does not lack ideas, or talent, or companies willing to build, he added.
“It is not a question of whether Europe is ready. What Europe needs now is courage, ambition, and the discipline to execute and turn this into scale."
