Dispatch from Brussels: Updates on EU Tech Policy
Welcome to this edition of the Dispatch from Brussels! I’m Sabina Ciofu, and I lead techUK’s international work and head up our Brussels office. I’m taking over the Dispatch this month while Theo is away, and it’s a busy one to pick up. The UK–EU Summit is less than two weeks away, our CEO and I met Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen last week, and I’m delighted that our new report on the EU’s Cloud and AI Development Act is out tomorrow, 10 November. The Commission has also set out its plans for 2027, and we’re expecting the Quantum Act on 18 November. Here’s what we’re watching...
UK–EU Relations
All eyes on the 20 November Summit. UK and EU leaders will meet in Brussels on 20 November for the second UK–EU Summit. There’s a packed agenda, from defence and security to energy and agrifood, with a joint declaration expected. We’ve been making the case on both sides of the Channel for a UK–EU Digital Partnership Agreement that gives both sides a way to work together regularly on tech regulation, emerging technologies and digital trade. We’re also pressing for a clear route for the UK to be recognised as a trusted partner under the EU’s technology sovereignty initiatives. We’ll be looking closely at what the joint declaration says on both.
techUK meets Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen. Julian David and I met Executive Vice-President Virkkunen in London on 5 November. We discussed where the UK and EU could work more closely on technology, building on existing cooperation through Horizon Europe and the Joint Undertakings. We also talked about how the EU can build its cloud and AI capabilities while working with trusted partners, and where the UK and EU could do more together on deftech cooperation.
Technology Sovereignty
Our CADA report is out tomorrow! On Tuesday 10 November, we’ll publish Protecting Sovereignty Through Partnership, our new report on the EU’s proposed Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA). It looks at what the proposal could mean for the UK economy and for the cloud and AI supply chains that businesses on both sides of the Channel rely on. We make the case for recognising the UK as a trusted partner from day one and for using verifiable security requirements to determine which suppliers can serve sensitive public-sector customers. We’ll be taking those recommendations to policymakers in Brussels and Westminster in the run-up to the Summit.
Commission Work Programme
What’s on the EU’s tech agenda for 2027? The Commission published its 2027 Work Programme on 4 November. The main new digital initiative is a package provisionally due in the second quarter of 2027, covering digital transformation, simplification and copyright. The Work Programme annexes also list several proposals already on the table as priorities, including CADA, Chips Act 2.0, the Digital Networks Act, the revised Cybersecurity Act and the Public Procurement Act. For tech businesses, those negotiations will shape everything from who can bid for public contracts to how the EU approaches cybersecurity certification and semiconductor investment. You can read more in techUK’s full analysis of the Work Programme.
Quantum
Quantum Act expected on 18 November. The Commission is expected to present its Quantum Act on 18 November, two days before the Summit. The proposal will build on the Quantum Europe Strategy, with a focus on strengthening research, helping companies bring quantum technologies to market and making supply chains more resilient. We’ll be looking at what it means for UK–EU collaboration, particularly on research and access to facilities that help companies test and scale their technologies.
