The recent agreement between the European Union and Brazil to establish the world’s largest area of free and safe data flows marks a landmark achievement in digital globalization. By mutually recognizing each other’s data protection regimes as “adequate,” the EU and Brazil eliminate the need for additional compliance hurdles, enabling businesses, researchers, and public institutions to exchange personal data seamlessly.
For neoliberal thinkers and advocates, this development is a textbook example of how regulatory convergence and institutional trust can reduce transaction costs, enhance cross-border commerce, and promote economic integration without sacrificing consumer protections. It also signals a strategic alignment between the EU and a major Global South economy, reinforcing the value of liberal norms in digital governance amid rising digital protectionism and techno-nationalism.
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The recent agreement between the European Union and Brazil to establish the world’s largest area of free and safe data flows marks a landmark achievement in digital globalization. By mutually recognizing each other’s data protection regimes as “adequate,” the EU and Brazil eliminate the need for additional compliance hurdles, enabling businesses, researchers, and public institutions to exchange personal data seamlessly.
For neoliberal thinkers and advocates, this development is a textbook example of how regulatory convergence and institutional trust can reduce transaction costs, enhance cross-border commerce, and promote economic integration without sacrificing consumer protections. It also signals a strategic alignment between the EU and a major Global South economy, reinforcing the value of liberal norms in digital governance amid rising digital protectionism and techno-nationalism.