DIGITAL

Digital Transformation. On December 11, the XV Summit of the Pacific Alliance ended. The meeting was led by the President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, who was accompanied in person by the President of Colombia, Iván Duque, as well as virtually by the presidents of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Peru Francisco Sagasti. During the event, the presidents signed several documents of interest, among which the Regional Digital Market and the push towards Digital Transformation stand out, through this document the presidents committed to:

• Advance in the implementation of a Regional Digital Market within the framework of the Pacific Alliance (PA) to reduce trade barriers, improve access to trade and boost the digital economy within and outside the region. 
• Work with the private sector, including academia, international organizations, and civil society to advance digitization. 
• Create a secure environment that promotes the protection of personal data and consumer rights. 
• To promote self-regulation through the development of best practices that inspire greater security and confidence in digital commerce from any PA country.

On the other hand, at the end of November, the Economic Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) published the Digital Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean (eLAC2022). This document seeks to be a catalyst for regional cooperation efforts and a mechanism to promote the design of policies on digital transformation. 

In this regard, the countries agreed to promote a regional digital market strategy that streamlines cross-border electronic and digital commerce through the integration of digital infrastructure; normative harmonization; trade facilitation; improving logistics services and promoting regulatory frameworks that drive innovation in digital payment services.

Next steps

The presidents of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru committed to advance towards a digital transformation agenda within the framework of the Pacific Alliance by 2030. This will include the implementation of a Regional Digital Market and the protection of personal data. At the same time, the countries that make up ECLAC agreed to advance towards 2022 along the same lines, emphasizing regulatory simplification, innovation in digital payments and trade facilitation within the region.