The European Union (EU) and a coalition of Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries, including Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay, have collaboratively decided to deepen their collaboration through the establishment of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance.
The EU-LAC Digital Alliance stands as an informal, value-driven platform for cooperation, open to participation from all LAC nations and EU Member States, involving their respective governmental bodies and digital agenda-related agencies. The EU contributes as part of Team Europe, encompassing Member States, development organizations, European financial institutions, and the LAC sector of the Digital4Development Hub. Additionally, the Alliance welcomes engagement from other stakeholders such as the private sector, research and academic networks, and various societal entities from both regions, as appropriate.
This alliance fosters a consistent platform for bi-regional discussions and collaboration on digital affairs, with the goal of benefiting the citizens of both regions. It lays the groundwork for future collaborative efforts while building upon the ongoing digital cooperation between the EU and LAC, which includes initiatives supported by EU Member States, as well as EU-backed infrastructure in the LAC area, like projects under the BELLA program, Copernicus Centres, the LAC Cyber Competence Centre, and specific endeavors in areas such as cybercrime under the EL PAcCTO program.
The EU-LAC Digital Alliance promotes collaboration across a wide spectrum of digital issues, encompassing digital policy dialogue, internet governance, data governance, infrastructure, connectivity, security, data protection, artificial intelligence, emerging digital technologies, skills development, technology, entrepreneurship, innovation, digital trade, and space-related undertakings like Copernicus Earth observation data and Galileo/EGNOS satellite navigation applications and services. It also aims to explore potential cooperation with the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE). The alliance seeks to facilitate knowledge transfer and exchange in areas like digital citizenship, digitization of public services and records, digital identity, electronic signatures, and related interoperability.
Furthermore, the alliance serves as a platform for constructing a joint Investment Agenda in the digital realm, with support from initiatives like the Global Gateway, among other funding sources.
Due to the dynamic nature of the digital sector, priorities within the alliance will undergo periodic revisions, ensuring alignment with evolving needs and opportunities based on mutual agreement.
Shared Values: The EU-LAC Digital Alliance is rooted in a shared, human-centered vision of the digital economy and society. This vision centers on the design, development, governance, and utilization of technology guided by universal human rights and fundamental freedoms. It upholds principles of democratic governance, transparency, accountability, cybersecurity, privacy protection, solidarity, inclusion, security, and environmental sustainability. Additionally, the alliance emphasizes the importance of combatting online disinformation.
Participating nations in the EU-LAC Digital Alliance concur that digitalization must primarily benefit people, capitalizing on the potential of the data economy for sustainable development amidst the ongoing digital transformation. This approach encourages investment while recognizing the significance of data as a tool for the socio-economic advancement of developing nations.
Through the formation of this alliance, the parties signify their shared commitment to enhancing the digital skills of all citizens, ensuring their safe and responsible engagement with digital technologies. This commitment extends to promoting specialized digital skills acquisition, particularly through education and digital literacy, to facilitate equitable participation in the digital economy and society, with a special focus on women and girls.
The partners are dedicated to narrowing digital disparities, fostering social cohesion, promoting gender and racial equality, empowering youth, and creating an inclusive digital society and economy that leaves no one behind. This includes ensuring secure, universal, and meaningful digital connectivity for every individual, bolstering trust among citizens and businesses through democratic governance models founded on privacy, data protection, and security. The aspiration is to develop a thriving, inclusive, sustainable, and responsible digital economy and local digital industry that encourages innovation on a level playing field and is rooted in open and fair markets.
The partners affirm that the same rights enjoyed offline by citizens must also be safeguarded online, particularly for children and youth, in accordance with relevant United Nations General Assembly resolutions, international conventions, and domestic laws. This perspective aligns with the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade and the eLAC Digital Agenda 2024, both of which underscore a people-centered, inclusive, and development-oriented digital transformation that respects universal human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Implementation: A recurring dialogue will facilitate the exchange of information and best practices concerning digital policy, with the aim of reinforcing and harmonizing digital policy and regulatory frameworks on topics of mutual interest between the EU and LAC countries. This dialogue will encompass areas such as data protection and flows, cybersecurity, interoperability, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and satellite data and signals. Governments, intergovernmental and regional organizations, non-governmental entities, private stakeholders, civil society, and academia will contribute to the dialogue’s implementation as appropriate. The specifics of these dialogues will be collaboratively defined. This regional framework, combined with ongoing digital agendas, will play a strategic role in bringing together national and regional regulatory bodies to foster dialogue and advance the convergence of digital policy while addressing digital disparities.
To advance connectivity, inclusivity, innovation, and the digitalization of public services and businesses, the EU-LAC Digital Alliance will support digital projects within their jointly agreed Investment Agenda, particularly focusing on Global Gateway flagship initiatives. In 2023, these efforts will encompass:
a) Expanding the BELLA fiber-optic cable to interested nations, creating a secure digital backbone for connectivity and fostering closer collaboration between the EU and LAC research communities.
b) Implementing a regional Copernicus Strategy, including establishing two regional Copernicus data centers in Panama and Chile.
c) Establishing an EU-LAC Digital Accelerator to facilitate multi-stakeholder cooperation among EU and LAC corporations, SMEs, and innovative startups. The objective is to promote at least 40 joint ventures for bi-regional innovation and digital transformation.
Progress will be reviewed annually to ensure the effective implementation of the alliance’s goals and aspirations.
More on the European Commission website.
