Brazil Unveils Digital Brazil Agenda to Tackle Digital Market Concentration
Brazil has taken a significant stride in digital regulation with the unveiling of the Digital Brazil Agenda. This comprehensive plan, presented in mid-September, aims to create regulatory mechanisms and economic incentives for the country's digital environment and economy. The agenda is set to insert Brazil into the global debate on digital governance, with a focus on building robust regulatory tools in antitrust.
At the heart of this agenda lies the Digital Fair Competition Bill, a flexible regulatory tool designed to structure a more equitable digital market. This bill proposes the establishment of a framework within CADE to tackle the challenges of digital markets. It introduces a designation process for platforms of systemic relevance, imposing obligations for transparency, interoperability, and non-discrimination.
The bill's development stemmed from a public consultation led by the Ministry of Finance in 2024, gathering contributions from over 70 participants across various sectors and countries. Paulo Henrique de Oliveira, Chief of Staff at CADE and a researcher at CEDIS, is among the key figures involved in this process. The bill is seen as an important step forward in building capacities, institutions, and international linkages to confront concentration in digital markets and construct a more equitable digital future for Brazil and other developing economies.
The concentration of power in the global digital economy raises concerns about how regulatory systems can address new risks and mitigate the societal impacts of digital dominance, particularly in emerging economies. Brazil's pursuit of robust regulatory tools in antitrust is motivated by the need to contest intellectual monopolies, rethink the role of antitrust as a redistributive policy, construct digital sovereignty, and assert geopolitical weight in the global digital order.
The Digital Brazil Agenda, with its core initiatives including the Digital Child and Adolescent Statute, the Digital Fair Competition Bill, and the issuance of a Provisional Measure Establishing the Redata, signals Brazil's commitment to shaping a fair and equitable digital future. The specifics of the regulatory body leading this effort, while not yet available, are expected to align with similar European regulations, ensuring meaningful choice for users and businesses in the digital economy.
