In the recent years, the word 'sovereignty' has been increasingly used in public debate, often in ‘adjectivised’ form (food sovereignty, energy sovereignty, industrial sovereignty, digital sovereignty, etc.). This growing use of 'sovereignties' outside of the traditional meaning raises questions. Thus, it appeared useful to the Conseil d'Etat to study the meaning and scope of nowadays' sovereignty.
The study highlights the outlines of the notion of sovereignty and its key role in the origins of a modern State and international law. Ultimately, for each State, the exercise of sovereignty depends on a specific equation, counting a 'power factor', a 'dependence coefficient', as well as institutional choices - the study analyses France's case. Instead of an evolution of legal concept, the pluralization of sovereignty reflects the new issues at stake in its exercise, and the nation's ability to meet the challenges of a world of interdependence and conflict, marked by a crisis in representative democracy.
The study introduces these issues through examples (medicines, energy, digital technology), with particular reference to the link with European construction.