Brussels Effect: A União Europeia como exportadora de padrões regulatórios e o caso do AI ACT

Abstract

This study analyzes how the political-institutional structure of the European Union (EU) sustains the international projection of its regulatory power, using the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) as an instrumental case study. In a global scenario marked by technological competition and regulatory uncertainty, the research is guided by the following question: how does the political-institutional structure of the European Union sustain the formation and projection of its regulatory power in the international system? The study adopts a qualitative and interpretive approach, drawing on documentary analysis of official European Commission records, the historical perspective of single market integration, and a qualitative comparison of the regulatory agendas of Brazil and Canada. The theoretical framework combines contributions from sociological and historical institutionalism, constructivism, and experimentalist governance to understand the construction and diffusion of European regulatory authority. The study is based on the hypothesis that European regulatory power does not derive exclusively from economic factors, but rather results from the combination of a consolidated institutional architecture, structured and predictable decision-making processes, and a normative foundation legitimized by shared values. This combination makes possible the extraterritorial diffusion of European norms, a phenomenon described in the literature as the Brussels Effect. The empirical findings provide consistent evidence supporting the confirmation of the hypothesis at the de facto level, demonstrating that large transnational corporations in the artificial intelligence sector have internalized technical criteria and governance mechanisms associated with the AI Act in their global operations. At the de jure level, however, the findings reveal a more decentralized dynamic, in which sovereign states selectively incorporate European regulatory concepts and instruments, adapting them to their domestic priorities. The results suggest that the international governance of artificial intelligence tends to be structured through processes of coordination, adaptation, and regulatory interoperability, in which European influence remains relevant while coexisting with other centers of regulatory production in a multipolar international environment.