Launch of the European consortium for digital identity, “POTENTIAL”

On 10 and 11 July 2023, the Ministry of the Interior and Overseas France (MIOM) and the National Agency for Secure Documents (ANTS) are launching the work of the European consortium known as POTENTIAL to experiment with digital identity on a European scale.


Launch meeting for Potential, 10/07/2023

PRESS RELEASE

 

 

On 10 and 11 July 2023, the Ministry of the Interior and Overseas France (MIOM) and the National Agency for Secure Documents (ANTS) are launching the work of the European consortium called POTENTIAL to experiment with digital identity on a European scale, with 38 ministries, 34 government operators, 9 research centres, 51 major companies and 12 start-ups from 19 EU member states and Ukraine (full list attached).

 

As part of the Digital Europe programme, which promotes the use of digital technologies by public agencies, citizens, and businesses, on 24 February 2022 the European Commission (EC) launched a call for projects to co-finance experiments involving the use of official digital identity throughout Europe.

 

In response to the impetus given at the European level and in light of the issues surrounding secure documents raised by the Ministry of the Interior as part of the Government's digital transformation, MIOM and ANTS have organised the POTENTIAL consortium.

 

The aim of POTENTIAL, officially launched with the EC on 1 April 2023, is to test the deployment of a digital identity portfolio to enable European citizens to easily and securely access online services, facilitate administrative processing by government agencies, and combat identity theft. It is receiving a European subsidy of €16 million.

 

The 26-month roadmap aims to test and demonstrate the effectiveness of national solutions dedicated to digital identity and their interoperability on a European scale through the following six use cases:

  • Access to electronic public services enabling citizens to prove their identity in order to facilitate and simplify their online dealings with government.
  • Opening bank accounts (of different kinds: current, savings, and depositor) online, to make user authentication easier during transactions and to help combat bank fraud.
  • SIM card registration, enabling citizens to prove their identity when opening a telephone line.
  • The development of a "digital companion" to the driving licence on a mobile phone, which constitutes proof of the right to drive and can be used by law enforcement and car rental agencies.
  • Qualified remote electronic signatures for contracts requiring proof of identity, thereby strengthening anti-fraud measures.
  • Electronic medical prescriptions, which allow patients to access their health data and authorise qualified providers to see their prescriptions.

 

On 10 and 11 July 2023, France, as project coordinator, welcomed the European partners to Paris for the operational launch of the project, in the presence of Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister Delegate for the Digital Transition and Telecommunications.

 

The European digital identity portfolio will be built and tested over a 26-month period , in two phases:

  • An initial phase enabling national solutions to be tested, with the first tests being conducted until October 2024
  • A second phase with cross-border tests to ensure that the various solutions are interoperable.

 

The Ministry of the Interior and Overseas France states that "our shared ambition is that, from June 2025, the digital identity wallet will become the identity companion for French and European citizens, enabling them to guarantee the security of their dealings with government agencies, banks, telephone operators, and healthcare providers, to name a few, while retaining full control of their identity data".

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