EBSI Pioneering Blockchain’s Future in Europe
Brussels, 26 November 2024 – Access Advisors, in collaboration with Howest University and as part of the EBSI-NE consortium, co-hosted the EBSI Demystifying Seminar at Vlerick Business School and online. With over 70 participants, the event explored the transformative potential of the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) and the EUROPEUM-EDIC initiative in advancing Europe’s digital sovereignty and improving public services.
Moderated by Alla Aboudaka, Founder and Managing Director of Access Advisors, the seminar brought together policymakers, technical experts, and industry leaders to examine blockchain’s role in creating scalable, secure, and efficient public infrastructure across Europe.
Key Discussions and Insights
EUROPEUM-EDIC’s vision: Mathieu Michel, Belgium’s Secretary of State for Digitalisation, highlighted the urgent need for digital sovereignty and the political leadership behind EUROPEUM-EDIC. He emphasised the initiative’s role in decentralising blockchain governance and accelerating public service innovation across the EU.
European Commission’s strategy: Pierre Marro, Policy Officer at DG CONNECT, presented the Commission’s investment in blockchain projects under Horizon Europe. He underscored EBSI’s alignment with the European Digital Identity (EUDI) framework and the Digital Product Passport (DPP), while introducing the blockchain sandbox initiative as a bridge between regulators and innovators.
EBSI in action:
Scaling Infrastructure: Jonas Žalinkevičius outlined EBSI’s efforts to expand its node network under eIDAS 2 compliance, ensuring security, resilience, and legal alignment.
Innovative Use Cases: Daniel Du Seuil demonstrated cross-border diploma certification pilots under EBSI-VECTOR, while Robby Goetinck showcased Europe’s first digital student card for 9,500 students.
Traceability Solutions: Steffen Schwalm highlighted blockchain’s potential in product traceability and GDPR-compliant solutions for Digital Product Passports through TRACE4EU.
Challenges to adoption: In the panel discussion, Evrim Tan pointed to institutional barriers, such as the lack of standardisation and regulatory clarity, as critical obstacles to scaling blockchain beyond the pilot phase. Ricardo Simões emphasised the importance of private sector engagement to bridge funding gaps and drive innovation, particularly for SMEs.
Key Takeaways
The seminar highlighted several critical points for scaling blockchain adoption in Europe and demonstrated the collaborative efforts needed to drive its success:
Trust and governance are foundational: Establishing trust across Member States and stakeholders remains the cornerstone of blockchain’s scalability. The rapid formalisation of EDIC governance is a decisive step forward, creating a unified framework to guide the development and deployment of EBSI.
Real-world applications are proving the value: Examples like verifiable credentials for education, digital student IDs, and product traceability through Digital Product Passports showcase blockchain’s transformative potential. These use cases demonstrate that blockchain is no longer just a theoretical tool—it is actively simplifying complex processes and enhancing transparency.
Interoperability is key to cross-border success: Achieving seamless interoperability across Member States is critical to unlocking blockchain’s potential. Addressing the technical, legal, and institutional barriers identified during the seminar will require closer alignment between governance bodies and the private sector.
Public-Private collaboration is essential: Engaging private sector players, including SMEs and industry leaders, will be necessary to fund, innovate, and scale blockchain projects. The seminar highlighted the importance of partnerships to drive interoperability, standardization, and adoption at scale.
EBSI is building the backbone for Europe’s digital sovereignty: The expansion of validator nodes under EBSI-NE demonstrates Europe’s commitment to creating a robust and secure blockchain infrastructure. This backbone will be key to supporting new digital public services aligned with EU values like privacy, transparency, and inclusivity.
How this impacts you
As Europe builds its digital future, blockchain offers unprecedented opportunities to transform public services, streamline cross-border processes, and secure data sovereignty. For governments, businesses, and organisations looking to engage in this space, now is the time to act.
At Access Advisors, we specialise in helping stakeholders navigate EU funding opportunities, build strategic partnerships, and effectively position themselves in Europe’s digital ecosystem.
Contact us today to explore how we can support your goals:
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