Across the EU, governments have moved from pilots to formal cooperation: a political pact (the European Blockchain Partnership), a production-grade network for public services (EBSI), a new joint legal vehicle to run it (EUROPEUM-EDIC), plus market rules such as MiCA and a capital-markets sandbox for tokenised securities. Together, these initiatives make cross-border blockchain services possible at EU scale.
What is the European Blockchain Partnership (EBP)?
Launched in 2018, the EBP coordinates EU countries on blockchain strategy and the build-out of a shared infrastructure for public services. The Commission notes that the partnership aims to avoid market fragmentation and to support cross-border services. Norway and Liechtenstein participate alongside EU Member States; Ukraine joined as an observer in 2022.
How EBSI fits in
The European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) is the technical backbone of the partnership: a peer-to-peer network of government-run nodes for trusted public-service data exchanges. EBSI currently supports pluggable protocols, including Hyperledger Besu (IBFT 2.0) and Fabric.
EUROPEUM-EDIC: turning pilots into production
In May 2024, the European Commission created EUROPEUM as a European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (EDIC) to operate and expand EBSI with Member-State governance. Initial participants included a core group led by Belgium as host, with other Member States joining or applying. The EDIC model is designed to scale multi-country digital infrastructure the way ERICs did for research.
What changes under the EDIC
EUROPEUM-EDIC’s mandate is to deploy EBSI into production, broaden use cases, and coordinate cross-border Web3 solutions. Commission and EDIC pages describe 2025 as the production push, with governance shifting from an informal partnership to a legal entity steered by Member States.
What EBSI actually does today
EBSI groups its capabilities into two families: Verifiable Credentials (VCs) and Track-and-Trace. The VC framework follows W3C Verifiable Credentials and supports wallet-based issuance and verification across borders. Pilots have verified university credentials between Italy and Belgium.
Notarisation for governments and agencies
An out-of-the-box notarisation service lets public authorities anchor proofs of authenticity and provenance on EBSI without running their own DLT. Performance and model designs have been tested with Commission contractors.
Supply chains and product traceability
TRACE4EU uses EBSI as the trust layer to issue VCs, QR codes, and on-ledger events for seafood and other sectors, with technical requirements published in 2024. Related work packages cover agrifood, halloumi and batteries.
Employability and resume credentials
EBSI pilots also target hiring: machine-readable credentials in a wallet allow applicants to share verified qualifications with employers.
The identity stack next to blockchain: eIDAS 2.0 and the EUDI Wallet
The updated eIDAS Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 establishing the European Digital Identity Framework was published on 30 April 2024 and entered into force on 20 May 2024. Implementing acts adopted from November 2024 into 2025 set rules for wallet registration, certification and attributes. Member States must provide at least one EU Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet within 24 months of the Implementing Acts. EBSI and ESSIF are referenced as enabling components for verifiable credentials.
Capital markets: tokenised securities under the DLT Pilot Regime
Since 23 March 2023, the EU’s DLT Pilot Regime allows regulated market infrastructures to trade and settle financial instruments on DLT with tailored exemptions. In June 2025, ESMA proposed changes to make the regime more attractive or even permanent, with the Commission to respond to ESMA’s report.
MiCA: the rulebook that ties it together for crypto markets
MiCA entered into force in June 2023. Its rules for asset-referenced tokens and e-money tokens applied from 30 June 2024; the remaining provisions for other crypto-assets and CASPs applied from 30 December 2024, with national “grandfathering” possible into 2026. Regulators across the EU have published guidance and supervisory priorities aligned to these dates.
Country cooperation in practice
Shared nodes and national projects
Member States, plus Norway and Liechtenstein, run EBSI nodes and fund national on-ramps (for example, Austria’s EBSI4Austria), while Ukraine participates in the partnership as an observer. These activities anchor EBSI in real public-sector operations.
Open standards and evolving tech
EBSI publishes conformance and change logs for its APIs and registries, including DID and timestamp services; its multi-protocol approach is intended to preserve interoperability as the network scales.
Why this matters for businesses and builders
With EUROPEUM-EDIC taking EBSI to production, eIDAS 2.0 making wallets mandatory on a clear timeline, MiCA harmonising market rules, and the DLT Pilot Regime easing tokenised-securities experiments, European nations are aligning policy, identity and infrastructure. For companies, that means a clearer compliance path, government-grade identity rails, and a place to build cross-border services that can be verified anywhere in the EU.
Key dates to remember
2018–2024
EBP launches; EBSI network set up by EU Member States plus Norway and Liechtenstein; Commission decision creates EUROPEUM-EDIC (May 2024).
2024–2025
MiCA stablecoin rules from 30 June 2024; full MiCA from 30 December 2024; EUDI Implementing Acts adopted in late 2024 and further acts in 2025; EUROPEUM pushes EBSI into production.
2025 and beyond
ESMA proposes making the DLT Pilot Regime more permanent and flexible; Member States prepare to provide certified EUDI Wallets within 24 months of the Implementing Acts.
