The first general assembly of the Potential consortium took place on 10 July 2023, in Paris, at the Ministry of Economy, Finance, Industrial and Digital Sovereignty of France. This meeting of paramount importance, brought together stakeholders from a wide range of backgrounds, including1 government officials, industry leaders and academics from the 19 European Union Member States and Ukraine to lay the foundations for a concrete project placing the citizen at the heart of digital identity.
Co-lead by France and Germany, POTENTIAL is one of the four large-scale pilots selected by the Commission to experiment digital identity through Europe. POTENTIAL aims at fostering innovation, collaboration and growth in six digital identity sectors (governmental services, banking, telecommunications, driving license, electronic signature and health). It represents a huge promise and marks a crucial step in our collective efforts to strengthen the European Union's with the digital decade.
As more and more of our daily tasks shift onto the internet and more and more people have access to and use online services, all European countries are keen for every citizen to have a secure, authentic and verifiable identity and to enjoy full protection of their personal data. At its launch, the Potential consortium is adopting a pragmatic, user-centric approach guaranteeing interoperability between the systems of different businesses and institutions. The unique group of public- and private-sector experts is well-placed to address the issues (technical, business, regulatory, etc.) involved in providing every citizen with a single digital identity.
Its goals are to:
· Collaboratively develop interoperable national digital wallets accessible across Europe in a fully secure manner.
· Streamline online procedures such as opening a bank account, renting a car or signing documents electronically.
· Forge stronger ties across Europe and help people, businesses and governments to work together more efficiently.
The Potential consortium, which aims to complete its work within the next two years, will focus its attention on six use cases aligned with the priority needs expressed by citizens in Europe:
■ eGov Services - A secure digital ID that will allow citizens to quickly and securely prove their identity as part of their online citizenship procedures.
■ Bank Account Opening - A secure digital ID that can be used to open current and savings bank accounts everywhere in Europe, including across borders.
■ SIM Card Registration - A secure digital ID suitable for activating pre-paid & post-paid mobile telephone contracts online, including cross-border subscriptions.
■ Mobile Driving Licence - A secure digital driving licence that will be accepted by car rental agents and police officers everywhere in Europe.
■ Qualified eSignature - A secure qualified digital signature that will enable all citizens across Europe to sign documents and declarations remotely.
■ ePrescription - A secure digital way to fill or refill prescriptions anywhere in Europe.
More details:
Website: https://www.digital-identity-wallet.eu
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Potential_EU
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/potentialeu/about/?viewAsMember=true
#potential2023
* Press release issued by POTENTIAL press team