26 Nov 2024
Howest University and Access Advisors Host Demystifying Seminar in Belgium on the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI)
Brussels, 26 November 2024 – Howest University and Access Advisors, as part of the EBSI-NE consortium, hosted the Belgian EBSI Demystifying Seminar at Vlerick Business School and online.
With over 70 participants, the event explored the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) and the EUROPEUM-EDIC initiative, focusing on their transformative potential and its roadmap. Moderated by Alla Aboudaka, Founder and Managing Director of Access Advisors, the seminar brought together policymakers, technical experts, and industry leaders to discuss the role of blockchain in advancing Europe’s digital sovereignty and improving public services.
Keynote Address and Presentations
Mathieu Michel, Belgium’s Secretary of State for Digitalisation, opened the seminar by emphasising the urgent need for digital sovereignty as Europe contends with foundational technologies originating outside its borders. He presented EUROPEUM-EDIC, a decentralised and regulated blockchain initiative designed to strengthen the EU’s digital market. Ten Member States have already joined, with the first use cases expected to launch soon.
On the same topic, Piotr Rutkowski, Vice-Chair of the EUROPEUM Board, detailed EUROPEUM’s focus on enhancing public sector efficiency, building upon the existing EBSI infrastructure, and exploring alternative revenue streams.
Pierre Marro, Policy Officer at DG CONNECT, elaborated on the European Commission’s investment in blockchain projects under Horizon Europe. He highlighted EBSI’s alignment with key EU policies, such as the European Digital Identity (EUDI) framework and the Digital Product Passport (DPP), and introduced the European Commission’s blockchain sandbox initiative to foster collaboration between regulators and innovators.
EBSI-NE and Use Cases
Jonas Žalinkevičius of EBSI-NE consortium outlined EBSI’s compliance with eIDAS 2 regulations and its architecture, comprising governance layers, service provider APIs, and geographically distributed blockchain nodes. He highlighted ongoing efforts to scale the network with additional nodes and competence centres while ensuring legal and security compliance.
Daniel Du Seuil of Cyber3 Lab presented EBSI’s potential to standardise cross-border diploma certification through the EBSI-VECTOR project, which is onboarding universities to evaluate and refine the use case. He also announced that Howest became on the same day Belgium’s first production node operator. Robby Goetinck from Howest University demonstrated Europe’s first digital student card, enabling secure student identification for 9,500 students.
Steffen Schwalm of msg introduced the TRACE4EU initiative, showcasing blockchain’s utility in product and document traceability, with pilot testing scheduled to commence in January 2025. He underscored EBSI’s GDPR compliance and its potential to become a cornerstone for Digital Product Passports.
Challenges and the Path Forward
In the final panel, Evrim Tan referenced a JRC study indicating that only 16% of public sector blockchain use cases move beyond the pilot stage, citing institutional barriers as a more significant obstacle than technical issues. He stressed the importance of standardisation, regulatory clarity, interoperability, and governance to drive adoption. In addition, Ricardo Simões of INATBA highlighted the need for private sector involvement to scale blockchain applications and fund innovation, particularly for SMEs. The panel called for cross-sector dialogue to bridge gaps and align public and private efforts.
The event showcased Europe’s commitment to blockchain as a cornerstone of digital transformation, with EUROPEUM-EDIC at the forefront of efforts to decentralise infrastructure and foster collaboration. Participants left with optimism about blockchain’s potential to revolutionise public services, underpinned by strong governance, strategic partnerships, and a shared vision for digital sovereignty.
For those unable to attend, the following resources are available:
Event Recording: Watch the full seminar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iubOkqJiKfU
Presentation Slides: Download the presentation slides at https://www.ebsi-ne.com/project-results
For media enquiries, you can contact:
Alla Aboudaka