Open Markets' Europe director, Max von Thun, and industrial policy program manager, AudreyStienon, discuss in Competition Policy International's TechREG Chronicle how AI policy narratives framed around the goal of "winning" a global race threaten to undermine the democratic values that this technology is supposed to help defend. Instead, von Thun and Stienon present a vision for an industrial strategy for AI centered on democratic governance as a means of protecting the public interest.
Open Markets Europe director Max von Thun argued in this co-written article that Europe has an opportunity to counter concentrated tech power and assert global economic leadership by aligning digital markets with democratic values and deeper economic integration
Legal director Sandeep Vaheesan emphasizes that Europe doesn’t need to copy America’s model to be competitive; it should double down on strong competition policy to avoid the economic imbalances and harms baked into the US approach.
Europe research fellow Claire Lavin co-wrote an article arguing that Google’s proposed $32 billion acquisition of Wiz would dangerously concentrate control over Europe’s cloud security infrastructure in the hands of a U.S. tech gatekeeper, threatening competition, data governance, and digital sovereignty—and must be rigorously investigated and potentially blocked by EU regulators.
Europe director Max von Thun argues that Europe’s response to Trump-era pressure on digital regulation must combine tough enforcement against Big Tech with major investment in homegrown technology, warning that efforts to weaken landmark laws like the AI Act and GDPR threaten European sovereignty and democratic security.
Industrial Policy Program Manager Audrey Stienon writes that Europe’s landmark Green Deal is being weakened under pressure from Trump’s tariff threats and rising far-right influence, jeopardizing the EU’s climate ambitions and democratic sovereignty.
Industrial policy program manager Audrey Stienon offers the analysis on Trump’s trade coercion amplifying Big Tech’s long-standing use of trade policy to erode national sovereignty and entrenches corporate power over global digital regulation.
Industrial policy program manager Audrey Stienon argues in Tech Policy Press that President Trump’s use of trade coercion reflects Big Tech’s longstanding manipulation of trade policy to erode national sovereignty.
Max von Thun, Europe Director at the Open Markets Institute, co-authored a piece with fellow Claire Lavin urging the European Commission to revise its merger guidelines. They argue that competition policy must look beyond prices to safeguard innovation, security, and democracy—ensuring a stronger and more resilient European Union.
EU tech policy fellow George Colville argues that the AI industry's growing energy demands are unfairly driving up electricity prices for ordinary Americans, with tech giants leveraging their power to shift the cost burden onto taxpayers and households instead of bearing it themselves.
