At a moment when Europe is scrambling to regain control over the technologies shaping the 21st century, Alexandra Geese has emerged as one of the European Parliament’s most influential digital voices. The German-born, Italy-steeped lawmaker sits at the heart of the institution’s tech engine room, serving on the industry and internal market committees and on the delegation handling relations with the United States. She is also one of the original architects of EuroStack, the EU’s emerging bid to reduce reliance on foreign platforms. 

She couldn’t be better positioned. Brussels is pushing a strategic detox from U.S. tech it now sees as a security and stability risk — a shift Geese, 57, has long championed. A former interpreter, she flies the Greens’ flag on tech and helped shape the EU’s recent wave of digital regulation, including the Digital Services Act, which drew the ire of Washington’s MAGA movement and tech moguls like Elon Musk. 

Geese is now pressing the European Commission to hold the line, fighting efforts to scale back the current digital rulebook and weaken enforcement. With a reputation for unflinching advocacy — she was writing protest letters to the German chancellor at age 7 — Europe’s tech giants, and America’s, will struggle to ignore her. 

Check out the full 10 to Watch list, the POLITICO 28: Class of 2026, and read the Letter from the Editors for an explanation of the thinking behind the ranking.