Opaque procurement: How transparency deficits compromise democratic digital sovereignty

Abstract

While digital sovereignty has quickly become a European policy mantra, few public institutions in Europe possess a clear view of their actual technological dependencies on proprietary infrastructure and non-European providers of data and AI products and services. This lack of insight not only risks turning calls for more sovereignty into hollow slogans but also frustrates the responsible governance of digital technologies. This article argues that opaque procurement practices contribute to the persistence of the problem. Without knowing what is bought, from whom, and under what terms, public institutions are restricted in exercising effective control and cannot adequately plan for and use suitable alternatives. Moreover, without meaningful mechanisms of transparency about procurement, researchers, critical members of the public, and journalists are denied access to necessary resources for democratic contestation and holding public institutions accountable. Building on previous research in the Netherlands, the article uses the Dutch public sector as a case study to show how an opaque procurement ecosystem may undermine democratic digital sovereignty ambitions. To improve the situation, the article outlines strategies for making the procurement of data and AI products and services more transparent.