Fifth Annual Meeting of the Brazilian-German Digital Dialogue held in Brasília

The fifth edition of the bilateral meeting was held in a hybrid format in Brasília. It was co-chaired by State Secretary Stefan Schnorr, from the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV), and Henrique Miguel, Secretary for Digital Transformation at the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI).

Participants reviewed the progress made under the current Work Plan and concluded the session with the signing of a new Biannual Work Plan by both State Secretaries. This new document outlines the strategic priorities for the next two years of cooperation. Furthermore, a Memorandum of Understanding between Dataprev and the German statutory accident insurance providers (BGBAU/BGHW) was also signed. The document establishes a cooperation on the use of AI for social security.

Plenary Session

The Annual Meeting started with the Plenary session, which brings together stakeholders from the public and private sectors, academia and civil society. Roberto Jaguaribe, Brazilian Ambassador to Germany, and Bettina Cadenbach, German Ambassador to Brazil, highlighted during the opening remarks the importance of digitalisation as a key driver of competitiveness, the significance of Brazil-Germany collaboration and the need for global AI regulation efforts.

Maria Buzdugan, Head of Section at the EU Delegation to Brazil, also joined the meeting to present synergies between the EU-BR Digital Dialogue and Brazilian-German Digital Dialogue

The discussions highlighted the strong bilateral collaboration on AI, focusing on impact assessment through partnerships, such as the one between the German iRights Lab and Brazil’s AI Observatory (OBIA), international standardisation, and regulatory innovation. Challenges as internet governance, algorithmic bias, and the legal implications of platform responsibilities were also debated.

Meanwhile, data economy and digital public infrastructure discussions emphasised interoperability and scalable solutions, as Gov.br, showcasing Brazil’s leadership in digital services. Overall, the dialogue reinforced the importance of joint efforts in shaping ethical, inclusive, and interoperable AI and digital governance frameworks.

Bilateral Governmental Dialogue

Following the meeting, the government-to-government exchange gathered guest representatives from the Brazilian and German sides. Moreover, BMDV and MCTI, the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, the Secretariat of Social Communication (SECOM/PR) and CEITEC (the Brazilian Semiconductor state company) also participated.

The discussion on governance and regulation highlighted Brazil's efforts to advance digital policies, including two key legislative proposals: one addressing platform accountability aligned and another focusing on digital market competition. Brazil's AI regulation debate continues, alongside a pioneering MoU with Germany on information integrity to strengthen democratic processes.

On digital governance, Brazil's Interministerial Digital Transformation Board (CIT Digital) was highlighted as a cross-sectoral coordination mechanism, involving 8 ministries and thematic chambers to drive policies like the Brazilian AI Plan (PBIA). Emerging technologies took centre stage with discussions on data spaces as AI enablers and semiconductors, where Brazil’s CEITEC showcased its unique chip manufacturing capabilities.