‘DIGITAL
‘DIGITAL EU’: THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY To lead in cyberspace, the EU needs to avoid 'digital tribalism' To avoid 'digital tribalism' the EU needs a strategy to better engage with the Global South, including the emerging digital powers such as Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, and Senegal. By PATRYK PAWLAK The EU should regularly assess how its laws and policies – such as the recently announced cyber defence policy, the NIS II Directive or the ethical principles for AI – may impact other parts of the world The European Union’s view of digital diplomacy as articulated in July 2022 centres on working closely with “like-minded partners”. Whilst this may be a good starting point, if the EU wants to build broad support and strengthen its position as a norm-setter in the existing and emerging digital technology areas, it needs to remain fully committed to multilateralism as being globally inclusive rather than coalition exclusive. EU policymakers in Brussels must therefore resist the temptation to form “digital tribes” of the so-called like-minded countries or other values-driven technological alliances. The EU has established itself as a leader of digital transformation. But as decisions about the future of cyberspace increasingly become part of the geopolitical balancing act, the EU needs to build partnerships that are future-proof and reflect the key trends of the digital world. Over the past 10 years, at least 70 countries – including Iran, Thailand, Botswana, Ghana, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia – have registered an increase of about 25 percent in their internet pen- 47
