On 22 June 2026, European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela, speaking at the opening of the Future Affairs Forum in Rio de Janeiro, outlined the EU's digital offer to Brazil and Latin America, emphasising a human-centric approach that prioritises data sovereignty, open networks, and mutual benefit over dependency. Síkela framed the offer as a contrast to a global trend of 'me-first' politics and digital coercion, arguing that Europe's model empowers partners rather than entraps them.
Síkela highlighted the EU-Mercosur agreement, which he said creates a predictable market of 750 million people with high environmental and social standards, and a recently signed EU-Brazil Digital Partnership that sets a shared agenda on data handling, artificial intelligence, connectivity, and platform rules. Since January 2026, data has been able to flow freely between the EU and Brazil under mutual trust in each other's standards. The speech contained concrete references to ongoing Global Gateway projects: the BELLA submarine cable linking Portugal to Brazil, now being extended into the Amazon with two new undersea cable systems connecting Pará and Maranhão, plus land and satellite links to reach remote communities. Síkela said this will bring fast, affordable internet to 350,000 students, 250 quilombola communities, 110 Indigenous villages, and 100 riverside communities, and will be linked to the EU's Copernicus Earth observation system for disaster early warning and deforestation monitoring. He also mentioned an EU-LAC supercomputing network across 14 countries, led by Brazil, to enable scientific cooperation on climate, health, and clean energy.
The speech did not announce new funding figures or legislative proposals, but reiterated the EU's broader Global Gateway commitment: since 2021, Europe and its companies have mobilised €306 billion for investments in clean energy, transport, and digital networks worldwide. Síkela's policy orientation is clearly towards deepening EU-Brazil digital and trade ties through a rules-based, sovereignty-respecting framework, shifting the status quo towards a more cooperative and less transactional relationship. The address was largely declarative and promotional, lacking specific new targets or deadlines beyond those already in place.
EU and Brazilian tech firms may benefit from clearer data flow rules and infrastructure contracts, but could face compliance costs under the Digital Partnership's standards. Brazilian communities in remote areas gain connectivity and early-warning systems, improving safety and economic opportunity. EU taxpayers fund Global Gateway investments, with returns expected in strategic influence and market access. Brazilian sovereignty is reinforced by data-localisation principles, though some may see the EU framework as imposing European norms on local digital governance.