Xavier Coget
Cabinet official in EVP Virkkunen's office; delivered European Commission keynote at Sovereign Tech Europe in her place.
Last refreshed: 23 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why did the Commission send a cabinet official rather than its EVP to its own sovereignty summit?
Timeline for Xavier Coget
Mentioned in: Virkkunen picks Tokyo after EU summit
European Tech SovereigntyDelivered the Commission keynote in place of EVP Henna Virkkunen
European Tech Sovereignty: Brussels sovereignty summit opens without European AI builders- Who is Xavier Coget at the European Commission?
- Xavier Coget is a member of the cabinet of Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.Source: Sovereign Tech Europe programme
- Why did Henna Virkkunen not attend the Brussels sovereignty summit?
- EVP Henna Virkkunen did not attend Sovereign Tech Europe in person on 23 April 2026; her cabinet member Xavier Coget delivered the Commission keynote in her place. No official reason was given.Source: Forum Europe
Background
Xavier Coget is a member of the cabinet of Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. On 23 April 2026 he delivers the Commission's opening keynote at the Sovereign Tech Europe summit in Brussels, standing in for Virkkunen who is not attending in person .
His appearance signals the Commission's view of the summit as a working-level policy forum rather than a Commissioners' event. The Cabinet Office he represents oversees EU digital sovereignty policy including the AI Act, the Digital Markets Act enforcement calendar, and the Cloud and AI Development Act proposal. The Commission in the same week awarded its €180m sovereign cloud framework to four provider groups, a decision that drew public criticism for including a Google joint venture at the minimum sovereignty tier .
As a cabinet-level official rather than a Commissioner or Director-General, Coget's role is to translate Virkkunen's political priorities into technical and legal drafting. His summit participation reflects the Commission's intent to be present in the sovereignty policy debate without committing a Commissioner's diary.
