The European Green Deal runs on data, from corporate disclosures to climate-risk analyses and decarbonization pathways. But much of this data feeds platforms and tools developed outside the European Union, which could threaten the bloc’s climate agenda and even its foundational values.
PARIS—Last October, Signe Ratso, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, issued a stark warning while speaking on a panel at the European Parliament. “When critical datasets and analytical tools are hosted outside” the European Union, she explained, “their access or even the content … can change beyond our control.” As a result, “core scientific values can be compromised.”
Ratso’s remarks highlight one of the main issues facing European climate researchers. While many people are focused on the implications of the “backlash” against sustainability for the European Green Deal, these conversations—as important as they are—overlook the less visible, but arguably more significant, problem of data extraterritoriality.
The threat is subtle. The United States has enacted laws that give it effective control over data and digital infrastructure, regardless of where they are located. This suggests a creeping expansion of the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which govern the export of military technologies and technical data, into the civilian realm. Such instruments allow the US to exert pressure by imposing traceability and end-use monitoring on sensitive fields like climate research and digital systems. Instead of instituting outright bans, US policymakers can quietly shape what is studied and how.
