From India Stack to EuroStack: Reconciling approaches to sovereign digital infrastructure

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Authors

Chloe Teevan, Raphael Pouyé and Gautam Kamath argue that the EU should expand global discussions around digital infrastructures, presenting a more complete and democratic framework for sovereign digital infrastructure. This would permit the EU to engage with key emerging powers like India and Brazil, offer a holistic vision to govern the technology stack and help shape a wider global conversation about tech sovereignty. 

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    Summary


    This paper argues that the EU should expand global discussions around digital infrastructures, presenting a more complete and democratic framework for sovereign digital infrastructure. This would permit the EU to engage with key emerging powers like India and Brazil, offer a holistic vision to govern the technology stack and help shape a wider global conversation about tech sovereignty. 

    India and a range of international institutions and foundations have championed Digital Public Infrastructures (DPIs) – secure and interoperable digital systems, designed to help societies access essential public or private services. The global discussion about DPIs has built on the success of India’s Aadhaar digital ID system, universal payments interface and exchange layer that make up the 'India Stack’. The term DPIs is gaining global traction, with Brazil adopting it while building on existing systems rather than starting from scratch. These experiences offer valuable insights for other countries, but it is vital that different geographies develop DPIs and wider digital infrastructures that respond to their own developmental challenges.

    Meanwhile, Europe is engaged in a conversation about competitiveness and tech sovereignty that has crystallised in the discussion on building a ‘EuroStack’ of sovereign European digital infrastructure, including hardware and software. Alongside a focus on much-needed investments in hard infrastructure and strengthening Europe’s governance model, this includes a number of EU-wide DPI initiatives, like the EU digital wallet, and member state innovations that will be crucial for sovereign innovation. To shape the global discussion around tech sovereignty, the EU must partner with others, engaging with their priorities and jointly widening the debate about sovereign digital infrastructure.

    Chloe Teevan is the head of ECDPM's digital economy and governance team. Raphael Pouyé, a political analyst and policy expert in democratic innovations and digital governance, is an associate in ECDPM's digital economy and governance team. Gautam Kamath is an independent Brussels-based tech policy analyst.

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