Addressing the regional dimension of open strategic autonomy and European green industrial policy: New perspectives and pathways for impact

We explore the regional implications of the policy concepts of open strategic autonomy and technology sovereignty, examining how those policies may impact and interact with industrial development and the socio-economic and -ecological transformation of regions. We highlight that the effects of policies on promoting strategic autonomy and technology sovereignty can vary significantly across regions. We demonstrate that the effectiveness of such policies can depend with regional development and cohesion strategies under certain circumstances. To exemplify these arguments, we analyse several cases, including the territorial aspects of military security, energy transitions, microchip production, and critical raw materials. Achieving OSA related goals without compromising environmental and social sustainability requires a fundamental rethink of supply chains, material sourcing and use, radically different energy systems, and a new industrial policy centred on renewable energy sources and sustainable material use.