Model Digital Economy Agreement (MDEA)

February 2026​

The Model Digital Economy Agreement (MDEA) is a model legal instrument developed by the Digital Cooperation Organization to support governments in designing forward-looking and interoperable frameworks for the digital economy.​

The Agreement consists of a Preamble and 22 provisions organized around twelve policy areas that are central to digital trade and digital cooperation. It is accompanied by a detailed commentary intended to support policymakers, negotiators, and regulators in understanding the structure,intent, and policy choices reflected in each provision. ​

The Model Digital Economy Agreement is grounded in the Digital Trade Acceleration Initiative (DTAI), which assessed regulatory frameworks across DCO Member States and combined this analysis with extensive stakeholder engagement. The Initiative documented 2500+ policies and regulations across twelve digital trade policy areas and incorporated insights from a survey of more than 1,800 enterprises on barriers to digital trade and cross-border digital activity.