THE EUROPEAN UNION’S RESPONSE TO DIGITAL IDENTIFICATION CHALLENGES
Identification is the way we verify our identity, for example handing over an ID document or driver’s license. As more public and private services transition to digital platforms, there is an increasing need for a secure, dependable, and privacy-focused method of digital identification for all individuals in Europe.
The market is seeing an increasing number of ID wallets, becoming more important for conducting digital business. However, these wallets, often created by major tech firms, carry risks, such as dependency on non-European technology companies. The European Union aims to ensure that ID wallets can be used simply, safely, and reliably by anyone who wishes to, and to this end, each Member State must offer at least one version of its own ID wallet.
What is an EUDI Wallet
EUDI Wallets will offer a secure, trustworthy, and private way for everyone in Europe to identify themselves online. Each Member State will provide at least one wallet to its citizens, residents, and businesses, enabling them to verify their identity and securely store, share, and sign important digital documents.
The European Digital Identity Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 was adopted on 20 May 2024. Each Member State will offer at least one version of the EU Digital Identity Wallet (the EUDI Wallet), built to the same common specifications, by 2026.
There will not be one single EU Digital Identity Wallet but many built to the same technical standards. Each Member State will be obligated to offer at least one wallet to citizens, residents, and businesses and each wallet will share the same user experience and functionalities and will have interoperability across EU borders to access digital services. No matter where in Europe an EUDI wallet will work the same and accept the same digital documents.
The key functionalities of the Wallet
EU Digital Identity Wallets will be able to store and share a wide range of digital credentials. These can include everything from highly sensitive documents like mobile driving licences to everyday items like your gym membership card.
Digital documents will be:
- Secure: Strong cryptographic encryption keeps data safe.
- Privacy-preserving: Designed to be private; only necessary information is shared.
- Cross-border: Many digital documents will be accepted throughout Europe.
Citizens
Citizens will be able to enjoy convenience when accessing a wide array of public and private digital services throughout the EU, as well as transparency, security, and control over their data. By using national eID programs to register for their wallets, citizens can smoothly transition to digitally managing their identity.
Businesses
Businesses will be expected to accept and facilitate the use of EUDI wallets, particularly those in industries such as banking, finance, transportation, energy, healthcare, education, and telecom. The benefits of adoption will include improving security and privacy, reducing costs, increasing online revenues, and optimizing resources.
Governments
Governments will be able to improve access to services and increase fraud prevention and security, all while meeting the EU’s digital decade goal of having 100% of key public services and healthcare records available online by 2030.
Use cases of EU Digital Identity Wallets
Here is a first look at the many things an EU Digital Identity Wallet is expected to be able to do:
- Identification: Provide a way of digital identity verification online and throughout Europe.
- Education: Store and share education credentials when applying to a new job or university.
- Payments: Easily authorise payments through the EUDI wallet.
- Travel: Store your visas, passports and other travel documents in your wallet. Easily check in to flights and hotels.
- Driving licence: Download, store, and share your mobile driving licence.
- Accessing government services: Access digital public services (nationally and across borders) by using your wallet to securely identify and authenticate yourself.
- Health: Easily collect prescribed medication at a pharmacy, for yourself or loved ones, even when in another country.
- Social Security: When working abroad prove that you are covered by your home country’s social security. You can also store and share your European Health Insurance Card.
- Signing contracts: Sign contracts with just the EUDI wallet. Create a secure digital signature for any document.
- Organisational Digital Identities: Prove professional affiliations.
One common set of standards and specifications
To ensure that wallets, issuers, and service providers can all exchange information, across Europe, it’s necessary for all wallets and associated services to be built using a common set of standards and specifications.
The common architecture of the EU Digital Identity Wallet ecosystem is set out in the Architecture and Reference Framework (ARF). It specifies the standards, protocols, and formats of information exchanges between issuers, wallets, and service providers.
The standards and specifications of the EUDI Wallet are based on the idea of self-sovereign identity (SSI). Self-Sovereign Identity is an approach to digital identity that gives individuals control of their identities.
These specifications enable the wallets to:
- Securely store, present and verify personal identification data (PID) and digital documents.
- Use a common schema catalogue, enabling consistent exchange of information across the EU ecosystem, ensuring the interoperability of the wallets and their ecosystem.
- Establish a shared trust infrastructure that mandates issuers, service providers, and includes an issuer catalogue that ensures the authenticity and reliability of digital interactions.
Digital Identity Wallet ecosystem
To ensure a Digital Identity Wallet works properly it isn’t enough just to create a Wallet app. Creating a thriving ecosystem (where digital ID’s and digital documents can be readily issued and verified) will require the close collaboration of these three crucial actors:
- Wallet providers: Trusted parties (QTSP’s) that build or provide the wallet on behalf of Member States and offer it to citizens, residents and businesses. They will also provide ongoing technical support.
- Issuers: Any trusted organisation that can issue digital ID and/or trusted digital documents (like an education certificate, or mobile driving licence).
- Service providers (Verifiers): Any public or private organisation that relies on information from the wallet and requests identification and authentication from wallet users in order to offer a service.
The fourth crucial actor in the EUDI Wallet ecosystem are:
- Users (Holders): Any identity that makes use of the wallet and has credentials stored in the wallet.
BSS for EUDI Wallets
For a wallet ecosystem to work the above-mentioned actors must be onboarded on the ecosystem and this is where the ODS2 Business Support System for Digital Identity Wallet Providers comes in. The ODS2 BSS for ID Wallets provides the wallet provider with all the tools they need for managing their customers, but also provides their customers with all the tools they need to manage their users.
The standards and specifications of the EUDI Wallet are based on the idea of self-sovereign identity (SSI). Self-Sovereign Identity is an approach to digital identity that gives individuals control of their identities.
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