EU Digital Wallet Update

From its earliest stages as a consultation on revisions to the eIDAS (Electronic Identification and Trust Services) regulations, ID & Secure Document News™ has followed the progress of the EU Digital Wallet (see IDN June 2021 and March 2022). 

In this latest update from consultancy firm Intellig ¹, we look at the three consortia that are involved in pilots for the project. 

The goal of the EU is to set up a trust framework that will be recognised by all 27 member states and allow citizens to benefit from the same services regardless of where they are in the EU. This is no small undertaking as, at present, each country has set up its own national ID system, based on its own principles. 

The EU Digital Identity wallet is based on privacy fundamentals, avoiding central databases by locating users’ data on their devices and giving them control over how it is accessed. It will reach the eIDAS high level of assurance, according to its promoters. At the same time, the eIDAS standard is being revised and a new version, eIDAS 2.0, is underway. 

The EU Digital Identity wallet is expected to be launched in 2024, which means developments, tests and pilots are already underway, even as standards are under development and the legal framework is still being developed. 

When the EU Digital Identity wallet is operational, citizens will be able to use it for government interactions, such as proving one’s identity, age, or right to operate a vehicle; they will also be able to complete payments and use digital signatures.

Leading players in the industry have set up the ‘EUDI Wallet Consortium’ (EWC), including over 60 participants from both private and public sectors. The consortium aims to pilot usage scenarios requiring the collaboration of a multitude of European partners such as wallet providers, qualified attestation and other trust services. 

This will involve parties such as travel agencies, airlines, ferry operators, as well as international payment providers. Participants in the consortium include Thales, IDEMIA, Visa, Amadeus, and Finnair. 

Another group called the ‘POTENTIAL’ (PilOTs for EuropeaN digiTal Identity wALlet) Consortium includes 148 participants from 19 EU member states representing more than 70% of the European population, as well as Ukraine. 

They plan to set up pilots for SIM eRegistration, account opening, eDriving licences, eGov services, eSignature and ePrescription. Not all members are identified, although some of them have announced their participation in the consortium, including IDEMIA, LuxTrust, Docaposte and Thales. 

A separate consortium ‘Nordic-Baltic eID’ (NOBID) (see IDN February 2023), including stakeholders from Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia and Norway, announced it will focus on a cross-border payments pilot. 

NOBID’s proposal is supported by financial services players including DSGV in Germany, DNB and BankID in Norway, Nets in Denmark and Greiðsluveitan in Iceland. The consortium’s technology partners include Thales, iProov, Signicat, Poste Italiane, FBK and Latvian State Radio and Television Centre.

1 - www.smartinsights.net/single-post/the-eugoes-digital