Synergy of Political and Legal Instruments in European Union Internal Digital Transformation and External Competencies Practice

The world is transitioning away from a global market-based interdependence of countries towards a landscape dominated by factors such as state power, resource and military potential, strategic autonomy, proactive action readiness, and pragmatic expoitation of global asymmetries. Against the backdrop of this radically altered global governance landscape, the ongoing transformation is reshaping approaches to the general principles of international law. The lag in legal regulation, failing to keep pace with rapid technological innovation, raises concerns about an emerging ‘gap’ between these processes. As it reconsiders the seemingly consolidated current world order, the European Union regularly updates its legal instruments. Simultaneously, other international legal entities are thoroughly re-evaluating their perceptions of existing international arrangements. Global competition among jurisdictions has become increasingly contentious, presenting ample material for analysis. An overview of the EU’s digital transition-related legal innovations and practical steps to align its own and external resources with this objective - though new partnerships and “new generation” agreements with third countries - illustrates the varying degree of EU’s success in harnessing these opportunities. The EU’s external competencies practice is assessed here from an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on methods and logics of both political and formal-legal analysis. The identified specificities of the EU’s legal practice underscore the need for critical international legal assessment by specialised UN bodies.