EU Tech Chief Uses Anthropic Ban to Push Digital Sovereignty

A Frontier AI Lockout

The US government's abrupt order forcing Anthropic to suspend its most advanced AI models for all non-American users has become a rallying point for European officials seeking to accelerate the continent's technological independence. EU Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen used VivaTech 2026 in Paris to press the case for homegrown alternatives, telling CNBC that the US decision to restrict access to Anthropic's Fable 5 model underscored the urgency for Europe to build its own AI capabilities.

How the Order Unfolded

The controversy traces back to 11th June, when the US Commerce Department issued an export control directive ordering Anthropic to halt all access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models by any foreign national, whether inside or outside the United States. Anthropic said it received the order at 5:21 p.m. ET and was forced to disable the models for all customers to ensure compliance. Amazon's cloud division AWS confirmed it had revoked access at Anthropic's request. The move sent shockwaves across Europe, given the continent's heavy dependence on US-developed AI systems. Anthropic executives later met with White House and Commerce Department officials to discuss the directive.

Europe's Sovereignty Blueprint

Virkkunen's remarks built on a broader legislative push. On 3rd June, the European Commission unveiled a tech sovereignty package including a Cloud and AI Development Act and a Chips Act 2.0, designed to reduce reliance on US tech firms for critical infrastructure. Virkkunen said the Commission's goal was to ensure no cloud provider handling critical operations possesses a "kill switch". The proposals would require EU governments to conduct sovereignty risk assessments of their technology infrastructure and shift sensitive operations to European providers where necessary. The package also includes an open-source strategy to prevent lock-in to proprietary systems from a handful of global companies.

Competing Visions at VivaTech

VivaTech 2026, running from 17th to 20th June in Paris, featured sessions on building competitiveness, security and sovereignty, with Virkkunen as a headline speaker. German Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger joined her in discussing whether G7 allies could negotiate access to US technology models. The conference has become a venue for European leaders to articulate a vision of digital autonomy distinct from both the United States and China.

What Comes Next

The EU's proposed regulations still require approval from all 27 member states and the European Parliament, a process expected to take months. But the Anthropic episode, in which allied nations found themselves cut off from frontier AI tools overnight, has lent fresh momentum to what had been an abstract policy debate. Canadian AI company Cohere has reported a surge in interest, and G7 leaders are pushing a "trusted partners" plan to grant select allies access to restricted American models.