EU wants its Digital Identity Wallet accepted internationally

The EU unveiled its International Digital Strategy, outlining an ambitious plan to strengthen its position in global digital affairs. A part of this plan is supporting the development of trust services and digital identity solutions based on European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet specifications.

The bloc wants them “at the core of an interoperable and scalable suite of digital building blocks and solutions” of partner countries, according to a joint communication published on Thursday.

“At the core of the strategy is a concerted effort to scale the EU’s legal infrastructure beyond its borders,” digital identity consultant Ott Sarv writes in a LinkedIn blog commenting on the plan.

“Trust services, electronic signatures, and digital identity wallets are presented not simply as technical solutions but as legal arrangements.”

Geopolitical uncertainties have inspired calls in the EU for more technological sovereignty and boosting the continent’s tech sector. In April, the European Commission unveiled the AI Continent Action Plan aimed at increasing tech competitiveness with China and the U.S.

The bloc has also seen calls for establishing a more defined Digital Public Infrastructure framework, called the EuroStack.

The International Digital Strategy follows a similar logic. The strategy focuses on three core objectives: Boosting EU tech competitiveness through economic cooperation, promoting high-level security for the EU and its partners and shaping global digital governance standards. Cooperation with third countries on cross-border usage of trust services is a part of that plan.

“The EU’s experience in developing open-source digital identity wallets and secure and data protection-compliant Digital Public Infrastructure offers significant value beyond EU borders,” says the document.

With Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans, the bloc will continue to prepare for their gradual integration with the EUDI Wallet. Collaboration with India, Egypt, Uruguay and Brazil will focus on e-signatures and DPI interoperability. Finally, the EU’s work with Japan, India, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia will focus on promoting the EU model for eInvoicing.

Another item on the list is promoting the European Interoperability Framework, which helps partner countries align with EU standards and practices with the goal of cross-border digital integration, according to the strategy.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital identity  |  digital wallets  |  EU Digital Identity Wallet  |  EuroStack  |  interoperability  |  tech sovereignty