关键词: 数字治理, 数字主权, 数字堡垒, 布鲁塞尔效应, 欧盟数字治理模式

Abstract: Through its digital sovereignty strategy and the construction of a digital fortress, the European Union (EU) has successfully shaped the global model of digital governance, driving the formation of the “Brussels effect”. Existing scholarly explanations for how EU digital governance rules shape the global digital governance model follow two analytical paths: the marketbased approach and the regulationbased one. Both perspectives share a common logic of embedding the phenomenon of digital governance within traditional political economy frameworks. However, these theoretical assumptions risk oversimplifying the internal logic of the EUs digital sovereignty strategy and fall short in fully capturing the mechanisms through which its governance model exerts international influence. To more accurately understand how and why the EU plays a central role in shaping the global digital governance model, it is essential to examine “digital sovereignty” and the “Brussels effect” as components of an interlinked institutional process. It can be argued that the capability of the EUs digital governance model in generating the “Brussels effect” not only stems from its solid rulemaking capabilities and the spillover effects of its market size but also from an internally and externally coupled institutional dynamic mechanism. This mechanism embeds its digital standards into the institutional choices of third countries in response to external governance needs, thereby achieving effective alignment between institutional supply and demand, and enhancing the adaptability and legitimacy of its digital regulatory output. 

Key words: digital governance, digital sovereignty, digital fortress, the Brussels effect, EU digital governance model