Digital Market Acts and the Future of European Union's Digital Sovereignty Policy : An Assessment of Structural Power, and Policy Implications for the Future

Abstract: The adoption of the Digital Market Acts (DMA) marked a significant development in the direction of the European Union’s stronger approach to regulating its digital economy. This thesis sought to evaluate the European Union's structural power in the digital economy as well as the DMA’s potential impact on the future of the EU’s digital sovereignty policy. Through the use of qualitative content analysis, the author comes to the conclusion that the European Union has extensive regulatory authority over technology companies that operate in its digital market. This power derives from Articles 2(2), 5, and 6 of the DMA, which provide the European Union authority to govern and manage data access and control in the digital market. The EU’s commitment to digital sovereignty, which promotes national authority over their digital infrastructure and data, is reflected in the DMA’s implementation. This thesis argues that the DMA signifies a shift in the right direction for encouraging fair competition and reducing digital market monopolies, regardless of concerns over the DMA’s influence on the European Union’s trade relations with the United States. This research suggests that the European Union has the potential to affect the structure of the global digital market and the behavior of digital companies.