EUDI Wallet needs common standards applied rigorously, POTENTIAL pilot finds

POTENTIAL, one of the consortiums testing the upcoming European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet, has presented the conclusions of its Large-Scale Pilots, conducted over the last two years.

Among the results are a set of insights and recommendations for governments and policymakers. The group found, for instance, that cross-border interoperability is a key issue for the implementation of the wallets. This is why one of POTENTIAL’s main recommendations is EU-wide conformance testing and common standards.

“POTENTIAL has proven that Europe can achieve cross-border interoperability, but only if we apply common standards rigorously,” says Florent Tournois, POTENTIAL’s coordinator.

The pilot ran from April 2023 to September 2025, testing six key use cases of the pan-European digital wallet: online government services (eGov), bank account opening, SIM and eSIM card registration, mobile driving licence (mDL), Qualified eSignature (QES) and ePrescription.

The project gathered more than 140 organizations from 19 EU countries and Ukraine, including companies such as Amadeus, Idemia, Namirial and Thales. It completed over 1,300 tests and more than 1,000 successful transactions – including 249 cross-border transactions.

Another lesson from the pilot is that countries with strong national coordination and early private-sector engagement advanced fastest. Potential’s conclusions also highlight security and gaining citizens’ trust with “simple, transparent and privacy-preserving” wallets.

“Security is not just about technology — it requires governance, certification, and liability,” adds Tournois.

Finally, the pilots show that smaller EU member states and Ukraine will need continued EU support to deploy the EUDI Wallet at the same pace.

POTENTIAL is one of the four pilots that have completed their testing. The lessons from the tests will guide the transition from pilots to production, according to Tournois.

Meanwhile, the EU has kicked off new Large Scale Pilots designed to make the digital wallet ecosystem secure and interoperable. The new pilots are run by the APTITUDE and WE BUILD consortia.

The EUDI Wallet is expected to be available to the public in 2026.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  EU Digital Identity Wallet  |  Europe  |  interoperability  |  Person Identification Data (PID)  |  pilot project  |  Potential Consortium  |  standards