Global Governance for the Digital Ecosystems Project
CERRE launched in 2022 its Global Governance for the Digital Ecosystems project (GGDE), co-led by Pascal Lamy, President of the Paris Peace Forum and Vice Chairman of CERRE, and Bruno Liebhaberg, Founder and Executive Chairman of CERRE.
GGDE is a comprehensive research program aimed at addressing the growing fragmentation of digital ecosystems within an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape, including national security considerations. Thanks to the contributions from more than thirty scholars from the EU, US, China, India, Brazil, Japan, and Singapore, the project identifies areas where convergence is possible and should be encouraged, while also exploring opportunities for the coexistence of differing regulatory frameworks when convergence is not feasible.
The Phase 1 report of the project was presented to President Macron in November 2022. The Phase 2 reports published between November 2023 and September 2024 examine global governance institutions and processes, cross-border data transfer, different issues related to artificial intelligence, and the resilience of digital supply chains, highlighting the need for regulatory convergence and proactive governance strategies.
For further information, you can access all publications related to this important initiative below.
Authored by Pascal Lamy, Former Director General WTO, former European Commissioner for Trade, and Bruno Liebhaberg, CERRE Executive Chairman.
The report addresses the impact of geopolitical tensions and state control on the digital economy, particularly the balance between global convergence and segmentation, as seen in the US-China technological decoupling. Co-led by Pascal Lamy and Bruno Liebhaberg, the initiative involves 30 top-level experts, proposing policy recommendations for global digital governance. It focuses on online platforms, data, infrastructure, and trade, advocating for a balanced approach of convergence and coexistence. Key recommendations include establishing a Digital Stability Board (DSB) under the G20 to monitor technological and regulatory developments, promoting efficiency, compatibility, resilience, and coherence in global governance.
Authored by Gianclaudio Malgieri, Leiden University, and Gautam Kamath, Former CERRE Advisor
This policy report addresses the emergence of generative AI, emphasising the need for comprehensive, technology-neutral, and multi-stakeholder regulatory frameworks. It highlights the growing consensus on managing risks associated with AI, urging a balanced approach amid sensational media coverage. The report offers practical recommendations for global regulatory convergence, drawing on the EU AI Act’s risk-based model and its relevance to initiatives like the G7 Hiroshima AI Process, GPAI, and the G20. It covers generative AI risks, mitigation strategies, and global governance, providing evidence-based guidance to policymakers.
Authored by Sophie Stalla-Bourdillon, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
As global trends increasingly tighten cross-border data transfer (CBDT) regulations, jurisdictions face higher stakes in navigating international data flows. With privacy, digital trade, and data sovereignty at the forefront, policymakers are challenged to balance these competing interests. This report explores how regulatory divergence can stifle innovation and growth. Through case studies on countries like Brazil, India, and China, it examines the drivers of domestic policies and multilateral strategies. It offers practical recommendations for cohesive data governance, advocating for a horizontal working group on data infrastructure and a tiered assurance framework for privacy and AI impacts.
Authored by Gianclaudio Malgieri, Leiden University
This report provides a comprehensive overview of the essential principles underpinning a safe, fair, human-centric approach to the deployment of AI systems. The author argues that one could draw from the GDPR, and the AI Act a series of principles which could efficiently contribute to the identification of a global approach. Developing AI Adequacy as a guiding principle for transparent and ethical governance, this paper advances the pursuit of universal principles for AI governance designed to balance healthy innovation with social responsibility.
Authored by Adrien Abecassis (Paris Peace Forum)
This report examines the challenges facing the design of a globally coherent regulatory regime. It analyses how technological idiosyncrasies and geopolitical dynamics are contributing to regulatory fragmentation in the current global AI governance landscape. By focusing on a symbiosis of ethical integrity and innovation, three critical functions essential for AI governance are identified: a shared assessment of AI advancements and risks, equitable access and benefits, and safety and risk mitigation.
Authored by Paul Timmers, CERRE Research Fellow
This report explores the complexity of digital supply chain resilience through a series of case studies stretching from financial services delivery to raw material extraction. Comprehensive in scope, it constitutes a rare insight into the breadth of the logistical and political obstacles facing policymakers in this area. Tackling these obstacles, the report provides a concrete set of strategic principles for EU engagement with the global governance of digital supply chains. These include, among others, decisiveness and timeliness in decision-making, comprehensiveness with respect to the mobilisation of policy instruments, and realism about the EU’s comparative strengths in the digital sector.
