en.Wedoany.com Reported - The European Union and Brazil signed a digital partnership agreement in Rio de Janeiro, marking the EU's latest move to reduce its technological dependence on the United States and seek other international partners. EU Digital Sovereignty Commissioner Henna Virkkunen announced during the Web Summit that the cooperation will cover multiple areas including data, connectivity, cybersecurity, and the protection of minors.
Virkkunen stated that this is something the EU wishes to advance with trusted partners, aiming to create better opportunities for businesses on both sides, especially following the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur. Earlier this year, the EU formally signed a free trade agreement with the South American bloc Mercosur, comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, which opened one of the world's largest free trade areas.
Brazil will become the fifth country to engage in digital cooperation with the EU, following Canada, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. Virkkunen met with Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin yesterday and will continue talks related to signing the agreement today in the capital, Brasília. Virkkunen noted that Brazil is a country sharing many of the same values as the EU, committed to open markets, technological security, and a rules-based order, with the EU aiming to collaborate on developing human-centric technology.
The EU seeks to maintain competitiveness through international agreements while working to reduce dependence on the US in critical areas such as chip manufacturing and cloud services, to avoid the so-called risk of an American "off switch." The European Commission recently introduced a technology sovereignty package aimed at strengthening technologies developed within the EU, including cloud services. Currently, the European cloud services market heavily relies on three US giants—Amazon, Google, and Microsoft—which together control approximately 70% of the market share.
The EU is also concluding digital trade agreements with Singapore and South Korea to update trade cooperation in the digital age. This Wednesday, the EU signed a digital trade agreement with South Korea covering data flows, personal data security, and technologies supporting business activities such as digital contracts, with the goal also including strengthening cooperation in artificial intelligence. The US has repeatedly criticized EU technology regulations. Just months after its launch, the EU decided to join the US-led artificial intelligence chip club "Pax Silica," and both sides are still discussing the possible format for dialogue in the digital domain.
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