German chocolate maker Ritter Sport has been overlaying stickers on its existing chocolate bars for several months to comply with the EU's EmpCo directive (Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition), which takes effect at the end of September 2026. ^[1] The European Union is pursuing digital sovereignty to reduce reliance on American technology giants. ^[2] In late April 2026, Ritter Sport announced that after a loss in the previous year, just over one in ten jobs would be cut, marking the first job cuts in the company's more than 110-year history. ^[3] The EU's EmpCo directive, which comes into force at the end of September 2026, is intended to curb greenwashing by allowing vague environmental terms such as 'environmentally friendly' or 'sustainable' only when they are substantiated in detail on the packaging. ^[4] The sticker covers the claim '100 % zertifiziert nachhaltiger Kakaobezug' (100% certified sustainable cocoa sourcing) that Ritter Sport had used in advertising for years, according to a spokeswoman for the family company based in Waldenbuch, Baden-Württemberg. ^[5] A select group of European cloud and cybersecurity companies is positioned to capture the best returns from this new market. ^[6] The EU aims to create an independent and self-sufficient technology ecosystem through legislation. ^[7] The pursuit of digital sovereignty is generating a rapidly growing multi-billion euro market on the continent. ^[8]