Beyond borders: Trust Mechanisms Shaping EU Digital Governance

Abstract

In the digital age, digital technology and its associated challenges have brought digital governance into the global spotlight. The European Union (EU) has risen to the occasion, transcending national borders to foster cooperation in digital governance and establish significant mutual trust. This paper adopts a liberal institutionalist perspective to analyze the development, institutions, and cooperation of EU digital governance, focusing on institutional trust. Under institutional trust, it mainly examines two models: compulsory and favorable trust mechanisms, influenced by market economy and regional security factors. Furthermore, building upon the relatively robust institutional trust, this paper also suggests an enhanced solidarity-based trust mechanism founded on the shared values and identity of the EU, aimed at further solidifying institutional trust in the framework of liberal institutionalism. Although the evidence of solidaritybased trust mechanism already exists in the EU, it needs to be improved by continuous construction. Finally, this paper uses the practical application of the General Data Protection Regulation (hereinafter referred to “GDPR”) during the Covid-19 pandemic as an example of how the EU’s trust mechanisms for digital governance remain effective and robust even during a global crisis.

Key words: trust mechanisms, European Union, digital governance, GDPR