March 2024 marked a turning point for quantum technology governance. France and the United Kingdom imposed new export controls on quantum computers and components, forming part of a coordinated push among like-minded countries to restrict transfers of sensitive quantum hardware outside allied blocs. At the G7 ministerial in Verona-Trento, Italy’s presidency placed quantum technologies on the G7 agenda for the first time, while 21 EU member states signed the European Declaration on Quantum Technologies in Brussels. France also committed up to €500 million to five domestic startups through its defense-backed PROQCIMA program. Taken together, these developments show quantum technology policy moving from national strategy documents into concrete regulatory, procurement, and diplomatic action.
Coordinated Quantum Export Controls: France and the UK Move in Tandem
What happened. Two major quantum export control regimes took effect in March 2024. On March 1, France’s Export Controls Order 02-2024 began requiring licenses for the export of quantum computers, qubit devices, quantum control components, and advanced semiconductors from France to non-EU countries. The order, issued under Article 9 of the EU Dual-Use Regulation, covered quantum computers across multiple qubit tiers, from 34 to 2,000 physical qubits, with specified error rate thresholds. Ten days later, on March 11, the UK issued the Export Control (Amendment) Regulations 2024, adding three new entries to Schedule 3 of the Export Control Order 2008: PL9013 (semiconductors, cryogenic systems, advanced materials), PL9014 (quantum computers, qubit devices, qubit circuits, and quantum control and measurement components), and PL9015 (additive manufacturing equipment). The UK controls came into force on April 1. An updated Open General Export Licence published on March 26 permitted export of the newly controlled items to all 27 EU member states and other close partners.
Why it matters. These controls represent the clearest regulatory signal yet that Western governments view quantum hardware as a dual-use technology warranting strategic restriction. Critically, the French and UK measures were not isolated actions. The Netherlands and Spain had already adopted similar national controls in 2023, and the UK government explicitly described its regulations as aligned with “like-minded countries.” The fact that multiple countries are moving outside the Wassenaar Arrangement, using national and EU-level authorities instead, reflects the breakdown of consensus-based multilateral export control regimes (driven in part by Russian vetoes). For the quantum industry, these controls create a new compliance layer for any company whose supply chain involves quantum hardware, cryogenic systems, or certain semiconductor components with a nexus in France, the UK, or partner jurisdictions.
What remains unclear. The coordination mechanism between these countries remains informal, and it is not yet evident whether a formal multilateral quantum export control framework will emerge or whether the current patchwork of aligned national measures will persist. The specific enforcement posture of the French SBDU and the UK’s Export Control Joint Unit for quantum-specific items has not been tested. Whether additional EU member states will adopt comparable national controls under Article 9 is an open question, as is the timeline for US harmonization (which ultimately came in September 2024).
Who should care. Quantum hardware manufacturers and their component suppliers, export compliance teams at companies with cross-border quantum supply chains, trade lawyers advising dual-use technology clients, and government procurement officials evaluating sovereign supply chain risk.
France: PROQCIMA Awards Up to €500 Million for Defense Quantum Computers
What happened. The French Ministry of the Armed Forces announced framework agreements on March 7 allocating up to €500 million (approximately $540 million) to five domestic quantum startups: Alice & Bob, C12, Pasqal, Quandela, and Quobly. Administered by the Agence de l’innovation de défense, the PROQCIMA program targets delivery of two universal quantum computer prototypes with 128 logical qubits by 2032. The program is structured in phases, with €60 million for proof-of-concept work through 2026, and €75 million from 2026 to 2028 to down-select to the three most promising hardware approaches.
Why it matters. PROQCIMA is one of the largest single defense procurement commitments to quantum computing anywhere in the world. The selection of five startups spanning superconducting, photonic, silicon, and neutral-atom approaches signals a deliberate technology hedging strategy. The 128-logical-qubit target by 2032 is a technically demanding goal that presupposes substantial progress in error correction and hardware scaling. France is now one of the few countries explicitly tying quantum computing development to classified defense applications, including quantum sensing, secure communications, and computational capabilities for military environments. Combined with the export controls taking effect the same month, France’s March 2024 actions amount to a dual posture: invest domestically, restrict externally.
What remains unclear. How the down-selection in phase two will work in practice, given that all five startups have distinct technology stacks, has not been publicly detailed. Whether the 128-logical-qubit target is a binding contractual milestone or an aspirational benchmark is not specified. The relationship between PROQCIMA funding and the broader National Quantum Strategy allocation (€1.8 billion announced in 2021) has also not been fully articulated.
Who should care. European quantum hardware startups and their investors, defense procurement officials in allied countries considering comparable programs, and policymakers tracking the intersection of quantum computing and military applications.
Italy Brings Quantum Technologies onto the G7 Agenda at Verona-Trento
What happened. Under Italy’s G7 presidency, Industry, Technology, and Digital ministers met in Verona and Trento on March 14-15 and adopted a joint ministerial declaration containing the first dedicated section on quantum technologies in a G7 ministerial document. The declaration called for sharing policy strategies on public and private investment in quantum, the development and adoption of international technical standards (including benchmarking, terminology, and metrics), and information sharing on workforce development. Ministers acknowledged that quantum technologies could “increasingly become part of the economic landscape” and recognized their potential for breakthroughs in chemistry, materials, and physics. The meeting also invited Ukraine, along with Brazil, South Korea, and the UAE, as guest participants.
Why it matters. The inclusion of quantum technologies as a formal G7 agenda item gives the topic a level of political visibility it has not previously had in the G7 context. Canada’s 2025 G7 presidency later explicitly credited Italy’s initiative in its own quantum-related declaration, confirming that this was a genuine agenda-setting moment rather than a one-off mention. The emphasis on pre-standardization activities, including terminology and metrics, reflects a practical recognition that interoperability and benchmarking standards are preconditions for cross-border quantum technology trade and cooperation. The workforce language, while general, creates a G7-level reference point for future skills policy coordination.
What remains unclear. Whether the G7 quantum agenda will produce binding commitments or remain at the level of shared principles is not yet determined. No specific funding pledges, joint programs, or institutional follow-up mechanisms were announced at Verona-Trento. The degree to which this agenda item will receive sustained attention across successive G7 presidencies, or be absorbed into broader digital technology discussions, remains to be seen.
Who should care. Government officials responsible for quantum strategy across G7 member states, standards bodies working on quantum technology interoperability, and organizations involved in international science and technology diplomacy.
21 EU Member States Sign European Declaration on Quantum Technologies
What happened. On March 22, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU hosted the “Shaping Europe’s Quantum Future” conference in Brussels, where representatives from 21 EU member states formally signed the European Declaration on Quantum Technologies. The declaration, first launched under the Spanish Presidency in December 2023, committed signatories to coordinating R&D programs, accelerating the transition from laboratory to commercial applications, supporting quantum competence clusters, and building pan-European quantum infrastructures in computing, communications, and sensing. Signatories included Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovenia, Romania, Cyprus, and 15 other member states. The conference also saw the launch of the Belgium Quantum Circle, whose accompanying white paper described Belgium as “a blind spot on the European quantum map.”
Why it matters. The declaration brings 21 of 27 EU member states into a common framework for quantum technology cooperation. While declarations are non-binding, this one is structured around specific action areas and explicitly calls for a plan of actions with concrete targets complementing the Digital Decade strategy. The breadth of signatories, from countries with advanced quantum ecosystems (France, Germany, the Netherlands) to those with more nascent capabilities (Cyprus, Latvia, Romania), indicates that quantum is being treated as a pan-European strategic priority rather than a concern of a few leading states. The Belgian Presidency’s decision to organize the signing ceremony alongside the Quantum Flagship and EuroHPC Summit reflects an effort to link political commitment to existing institutional infrastructure.
What remains unclear. The declaration does not specify funding levels, implementation timelines, or accountability mechanisms. How “quantum competence clusters” will be defined, funded, and governed has not been elaborated. Whether the remaining six EU member states will sign (and what their absence signals about national priorities) is an open question. The action plan referenced in the declaration had not yet been published as of March 2024.
Who should care. EU institutional actors involved in digital and technology policy, national quantum strategy coordinators in signatory states, quantum startups and research institutions seeking European funding and collaboration frameworks, and observers tracking EU economic security strategy.
Australia and the Netherlands Advance Post-Quantum Cryptography Readiness
What happened. In March 2024, two countries issued concrete guidance moving post-quantum cryptography from advisory language to operational requirement. The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) introduced Control ISM-1917 in the March update of its Information Security Manual, mandating that new cryptographic systems intended for use beyond 2030 must support ML-DSA-87, ML-KEM-1024, SHA-384, SHA-512, and AES-256. This was the first time the ISM contained an explicit post-quantum readiness obligation. Separately, the Dutch AIVD and NCSC published a quantum migration guide titled “Kicking off your quantum migration program,” offering CIOs, CTOs, and CISOs detailed starting points for transitioning to quantum-safe cryptography, supplementing the 2023 PQC Migration Handbook. The guide stated that quantum computers will likely break many common cryptographic systems between 2030 and 2040.
Why it matters. These actions represent a shift from awareness-raising to operational direction. Australia’s ISM-1917 is particularly notable because it names specific algorithms (aligning with NIST’s post-quantum standardization candidates) and sets a hard date (2030) as the threshold for mandatory support, giving procurement teams a concrete compliance requirement. The Dutch guide, while less prescriptive, supplements earlier Dutch government publications dating to 2014 and signals that the AIVD and NCSC now consider organizational action, not just awareness, to be overdue. Together, these measures indicate that the “harvest now, decrypt later” threat is being treated as an active risk by allied intelligence agencies, not merely a theoretical concern for future planning cycles.
What remains unclear. Whether Australia’s ISM-1917 will be enforced through audits or treated as best-practice guidance in practice is not specified. The Dutch guide’s recommended timeline for completing migration programs has not been set as a formal government deadline. How smaller organizations with limited cryptographic expertise will access the resources needed to execute migration remains an open question in both jurisdictions.
Who should care. CISOs and IT procurement leads in government agencies and critical infrastructure organizations, vendors of cryptographic products and services, and post-quantum cryptography standard implementers worldwide.
Also in March 2024
The Open Quantum Institute began its three-year operational pilot at CERN on March 5, following a handover from the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA). The OQI will select SDG-related use cases in health, energy, climate, clean water, and food security, drawing on participation from over 180 experts and 40 partner organizations across 20 countries.
UNESCO published a discussion paper on quantum technologies and their global impact on March 6, prepared for its Digital Transformation Dialogue in Paris. The paper, authored by Quantum Delta NL’s Centre for Quantum and Society, addressed governance considerations and the risk of a global “quantum divide,” marking the first in a planned series of UNESCO publications on quantum governance.
The UAE’s Technology Innovation Institute opened the Abu Dhabi Quantum Optical Ground Station on March 8, the first facility of its kind in the Arab world, dedicated to satellite-based quantum key distribution research and free-space optical communications.
During French President Macron’s state visit to Brazil, CNRS and the University of São Paulo formally launched the “Worlds in Transition” International Research Center on March 27, with quantum technologies as one of seven priority areas and FAPESP committing BRL 30 million for research activities.
For deeper analysis of each development covered in this briefing, including cross-jurisdictional comparisons and sector-level impact assessments, visit the Quantum Policy Radar.