Brazil - Digital Transformation Committee (1/2025)

Overview

Resolução CITDIGITAL nº 1/2025 (dated 8 May 2025; published in the Diário Oficial da União, 12 May 2025) adopts the Internal Rules (Regimento Interno) for the Comitê Executivo of the Comitê Interministerial para a Transformação Digital (CITDigital). The Resolution operationalizes the institutional arrangements established by Decree No. 12.308/2024, detailing composition, competences, processes for meetings, working groups and secretariat support. Its purpose is to provide consistent, transparent and accountable governance arrangements that enable coordination across ministries and agencies to implement the Federal Government's transformation digital agenda (including monitoring of the E-Digital strategy).

Definitions

The Regimento Internal defines key terms used across the instrument: "CITDigital" as the Interministerial Committee for Digital Transformation; "Comitê Executivo" as the Executive Committee responsible for operational coordination; "Plenário" as the full ministerial body; "Câmaras Técnicas" as standing technical chambers; "Grupo de Trabalho" as time-limited working groups with specific mandates; "Coordenador" and "Secretaria-Executiva" (exercised by the Casa Civil) as leadership and administrative functions; and definitions that clarify member status (titular and suplente), quorum and voting modalities. Standard administrative definitions also address conflict of interest, confidentiality, and document provenance.

Governance and Institutional Framework

The Resolution places the Comitê Executivo within the CITDigital institutional structure created by Decree No. 12.308/2024. It confirms that the Casa Civil coordinates the Executive Committee and provides the secretaria-executiva, responsible for convocation, agenda preparation, minute-taking and publication of decisions and reports. Membership rules require that representatives be occupying specified commissioned posts (FCE/CCE levels); members are designated by their ministry/agency heads and may be replaced by suplentes. The instrument sets out formal roles: a coordinating member (Casa Civil), members representing specified ministries, chairs for technical chambers appointed per internal rules, and a consultative council to bring technical expertise from academia, civil society and the private sector. The governance rules describe hierarchical interaction among the Plenário, Comitê Executivo, Câmaras Técnicas and Grupo(s) de Trabalho, and establish annual accountability reporting obligations toward the Plenário.

Key Focus Areas

The Internal Rules instruct the Comitê Executivo to: (i) monitor the implementation of the E-Digital strategy and report progress; (ii) propose, plan and prioritize government actions for digital transformation; (iii) align federal agencies and foster cross-sectoral policy coherence; (iv) prepare positions for international negotiations and ensure Brazil's engagement in global digital governance debates; and (v) create technical chambers and working groups to address prioritized themes such as digital government services, digital economy, digital citizenship and resilience of digital infrastructure. The rules emphasize transparency of processes and require publication of agendas and summaries of decisions. Cross-cutting matters mandated for coordination include data protection obligations, cybersecurity measures, promotion of accessibility and the protection of fundamental rights in digital policy implementation, as well as considerations of digital sovereignty and infrastructure resilience.

Implementation Framework

Operational provisions establish procedures for convening regular and extraordinary meetings, quorum rules (majority for meetings; specified majority for approvals), voting mechanisms, record-keeping, and the timeline for producing deliverables. The Casa Civil is tasked with secretarial functions: issuing convocations, circulating agendas and documentation in advance, drafting minutes and ensuring publication on appropriate government portals. Creation of Groups of Work follows a written instrument defining scope, duration, composition and deliverables; groups are expected to deliver technical reports and proposals within stated deadlines. Coordination mechanisms require ministries to provide technical inputs and commit designated focal points for follow-up. The Resolution directs the Comitê Executivo to adopt internal controls and to liaise with the relevant agencies on data protection (e.g., the national data protection authority) and cybersecurity policy implementation.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The Regimento requires the Comitê Executivo to monitor and evaluate the implementation of policies and projects it oversees, producing periodic reports and an annual accountability report to the Plenário. Monitoring obligations include compilation of progress metrics, risk identification and mitigation steps, and publication of non-sensitive indicators. The instrument encourages evidence-based decision-making and the use of indicators aligned with the E-Digital strategy. It also mandates periodic reviews of the Committee's own structure and working modalities to ensure operational efficiency and policy relevance.

Penalties, Liability, and Appeals

Although the Resolution is primarily organizational, it includes mechanisms to manage conflicts of interest and the misconduct of designated members (e.g., failure to observe secrecy rules or procedural obligations). It provides for administrative referrals to the competent bodies of the member’s employer institution in cases of non-compliance with rules of the Regimento. Provisions describe internal procedures for requests for reconsideration of Committee decisions and for documenting dissent, as well as escalation channels to the Plenário where required. Formal sanctions (disciplinary measures) fall under the employing body’s own administrative rules and applicable federal law.

Relationship to Other Instruments

The Internal Rules implement and operate within the legal and policy framework established by Decree No. 12.308/2024 and reference Brazil’s national digital strategy (E-Digital). They complement ministerial portarias that establish the composition of the Comitê Executivo and of technical chambers (e.g., Portaria CCivil/PR nº 573/2025). The Resolution is procedural, and does not substitute substantive legislation addressing data protection, cybersecurity, public procurement, or administrative sanctions; instead it instructs coordination with agencies and instruments in those areas.

International Alignment

The Regimento frames the Comitê Executivo’s role in composing and articulating Brazil’s positions for international fora on digital transformation, digital economy and digital governance. It mandates coordination to ensure Brazil’s diplomatic positions reflect domestic policy objectives in digital sovereignty, data protection and cross-border data flows. The instrument encourages engagement with multilateral processes and standards bodies, and alignment with international best-practices on transparency, data protection and cybersecurity.

Implementation Timeline

Sources and References