Europe's digital transition: transforming the relations between the EU and its member states?

The digital transformation and in particular the advances on generative AI are impacting every aspect of European life. It is altering how people relate to each other (societal dimension), how products or services are provided (economic dimension) and how European states govern (political dimension). The digital transformation is therefore multi-locational, and the governance of the digital transition complex. This paper examines how the relations between the EU as collective governance framework towards AI, under a strong leadership by the von der Leyen Commission, and its member states has transformed in regard of governing AI and the digital world. Whereas the European Commission pushed forward few flagship projects like its EU data governance act or its EU AI act, member states vary in how their governments positioned their approaches in the realm of digital governance. The paper first examines the different AI approaches across the EU27 as outlined in their national digital strategies, and secondly, examines how these approaches interacted with the plans promoted by the European Commission and other EU actors. By doing so, the paper aims to draw inferences about the EU-state relationship in AI and digital governance, also with the aim to provide first insights, if the digital world works differently than traditional European integration processes.