EU-Brazil Digital Dialogue: Exchange with the Brazilian civil society at EU Day

The EU Day aimed to promote exchange on digital governance and EU-Brazil cooperation. The on-site event was hosted by the General Consul of Belgium to Brazil, Valentine Mangez, who opened the event together with the EU Ambassador to Brazil, Marian Schuegraf. They presented the idea of a new EU-Brazil Civil Society Sounding Board, a continuous mechanism for the civil society to communicate with the EU delegation.

AI and platform regulation

The first exchange with civil society focused on AI and platform regulation. Paulo José Lara, Co-Executive Director at Artigo 19, gave an insightful presentation on the current regulatory scenario surrounding AI and digital platforms. The participants then debated the interoperability of regulations and how international cooperation could help foster it.

Veridiana Alimonti, Associate Director for Latin American Policy at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and Alice Lana, Consultant for the Rights in Network Coalition (CDR), emphasised that it is important to properly adjust international regulations to the Brazilian context to ensure their suitability.

Internet governance

The second session dealt with the topic of internet governance. Ana Bárbara Gomes, Director at the Internet and Society Reference Institute (IRIS), started with a presentation. She highlighted Brazil's leadership in internet governance and the outcomes of the recent NETMundial+10 while also acknowledging challenges faced by the country, like the absence of a unified digital inclusion strategy.

Rodrigo Nejm, Specialist in Digital Education at the Alana Institute, stressed that the youth needs to be included in digital governance debates. He advocated for a more intergenerational dialogue and congratulated the European Parliament for its proposal on engaging younger generations.

Meaningful connectivity

The last panel discussion explored the complex issue of internet access in Brazil. According to Veridiana Alimonti, community networks play a significant role to ensure meaningful and universal connectivity in comparison to other existing solutions, such as zero-rating and "fair share".

Luã Cruz, Coordinator of Telecommunications and Digital Rights at the Brazilian Institute for Consumer Protection (IDEC), brought attention to the role of the Brazilian government and the difficulty of long-term planning for the provision of telecommunication services. He also emphasised the importance of funding mechanisms, such as the Fund for the Universalisation of Telecommunications Services (FUST), to ensure connectivity in remote areas.

 

Disclaimer: This is funded/co-funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.