Excerpt: In an extensive interview with De Standaard, Paul Verhagen discusses how technology companies are becoming geopolitical actors, threatening democratic accountability and Europe's technological sovereignty.
In a two-page interview with Belgian newspaper De Standaard, Paul Verhagen examines how the growing power of technology companies is transforming international politics. From SpaceX and Starlink to artificial intelligence, private corporations increasingly control technologies once reserved for governments and military-industrial complexes. Drawing on his book The Techtonic Shift, he argues that these companies are acquiring powers traditionally associated with nation-states, without being subject to equivalent democratic oversight.
The interview explores how Europe's dependence on American technology has become a strategic vulnerability. Verhagen argues that European governments must regain control over critical digital infrastructure and develop stronger incentives for adopting European alternatives. Among his proposals is a geopolitical tax on foreign technology used for strategically sensitive public services, alongside greater investment in European technological capabilities.
The conversation also addresses Europe's deteriorating relationship with the United States, its potential for pragmatic cooperation with China, and the need for new institutions capable of governing powerful technologies. Verhagen argues that technological sovereignty is no longer simply an economic ambition, but a prerequisite for democratic self-determination.
De Standaard, September 5, 2026. Interview by Nico Tanghe.