On 19 March 2026, Carnegie Europe, EU Cyber Direct – EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative, and The Hague Program on International Cyber Security at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs of Leiden University, convened a New Tech Roundtable titled "Technological Security in the Twin Transition: Economic Security and the Climate Costs of the New Tech Revolution". The event brought together experts and practitioners to explore how Europe can navigate the complex intersection of economic, technological, and environmental challenges.
The EU’s economic security agenda has shifted from a largely conceptual “de-risking” approach to a more operational framework, including risk assessments of critical dual-use technologies, tighter scrutiny of investments, and strategies linking supply chain resilience, technology leakage, and strategic dependencies to digital and cyber diplomacy.
At the same time, this agenda intersects with climate and ecological constraints. Europe’s twin transition faces pressures from rising energy demands of data centres and AI computing, water stress in semiconductor manufacturing, bottlenecks in mineral extraction, and the vulnerability of critical infrastructures such as subsea cables, power grids, and cooling systems.
Geopolitical and fiscal dynamics further complicate these challenges. Security imperatives may divert resources from the green transition, while calls for regulatory simplification could affect climate governance frameworks. These dynamics raise key questions about how Europe can safeguard strategic technological capabilities and infrastructure while managing the digital sector’s material footprint, climate risks, and emerging governance challenges.
The New Tech in Review series is led by Carnegie Europe under the EU Cyber Direct – EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative.
