Official Press Release of the POTENTIAL project
More than two years of EU-wide testing confirm that Europe’s digital identity wallets can work securely across borders – if backed by common standards, strong governance, and citizen trust.
The POTENTIAL Large-Scale Pilot, one of four flagship initiatives under the Digital Europe Programme, in which GRNET actively participated through use cases concerning e-identification for accessing services on gov.gr, opening a bank account, registering a mobile phone SIM card, online and proximity sharing of driving licence data, remotely authorised digital signatures, and e-prescription, has successfully concluded, marking a decisive step toward the deployment of the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet).
Over the past two years, more than 140 organisations from 19 Member States and Ukraine validated wallet use in six key areas: e-Government services, bank account opening, SIM card registration, mobile driving licence (mDL), qualified electronic signatures (QES), and e-prescriptions. In total, more than 1,300 tests and over 1,000 successful transactions — including 249 cross-border — were completed, confirming technical feasibility and providing essential insights for policy and governance.
“POTENTIAL has proven that Europe can achieve cross-border interoperability, but only if we apply common standards rigorously. Security is not just about technology — it requires governance, certification, and liability. And above all, citizens’ trust will depend on wallets that are simple, transparent, and designed with privacy at their core. Looking ahead, the lessons of POTENTIAL will guide the transition from pilots to production, ensuring that the wallets will be secure, interoperable, and trusted across Europe,” said Florent Tournois, Coordinator of the POTENTIAL project.
Key Results
The project delivered a functioning cross-border testing infrastructure, developed reusable attestations, validated wallet use in sensitive sectors such as health and banking, and delivered essential lessons for governance, interoperability and the security framework. These contributions will shape the European Commission’s work on the Architecture and Reference Framework (ARF), the Reference Implementation (RI), and upcoming Implementing Acts under eIDAS 2.0.
Looking Ahead
Between 2026 and 2027, Member States are expected to roll out national EUDI Wallets. The lessons of POTENTIAL provide a roadmap for success: accelerate alignment with ARF and eIDAS, establish strong governance structures, require conformance testing, and prioritise citizen-centric design and communication. Thanks to the groundwork laid by POTENTIAL, Europe is now better positioned to deliver digital identity wallets that are secure, interoperable, and trusted across the Union.
