Findy Cooperative statement on European Commission recommendation for a European Digital Identity
On 3 June 2021, the European Commission proposed a framework for a European Digital Identity which will be available to all EU citizens, residents, and businesses in the EU. The proposal describes a European ecosystem of interoperable digital wallets that allow member state citizens to use their digital identity cards and other verified credentials without limitations or extra cost across all member states for things like government and banking services.
The proposal outlines several key principles, including:
- Self-sovereign data control: users will themselves control who has access to their identity data and how.
- Transparency: it should always be clear to the user who is processing their data and under what conditions.
- Broad interoperability across local implementations: each member state will choose their own approach for implementing wallets, but they must be interoperable with each other.
Self-sovereign data control, transparency, interoperability, equal access, neutrality, and a trust model based on legal recourse on national level complemented by cryptographic proofs is a strong foundation for delivering the vision of Digital Europe 2030.
We Findy Cooperative align with the given concept and principles of the recommendation and endorse its Intention. Building on the Trust Over IP Foundation model for digital trust architecture, the Findy Cooperative has been working on a self-sovereign principle-based approach for verified data sharing for more than two years. The Findy cooperative is looking forward to continuing its mission to advance the European Digital Identity agenda in cooperation with national and European level public authorities and the private sector. Specifically, Findy Cooperative proposes to collaborate with the Finnish public authorities to ensure that the proposal made by the Commission can be implemented to its fullest potential in Finland. This requires systematic and determined public-private cooperation as well as joint vision to establish Finland as a leading Member State driving the adoption of European Digital Identity.
The Findy Cooperative is a joint non-profit organization established for the creation of the Findy network. Current members include Finance Finland, The Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Nixu, Nordea, OP Financial Group, Posti Group, Technology Industries of Finland, TietoEVRY and Vastuu Group. The cooperative aims to promote an ethically, economically, and socially sustainable data economy, increase digitalization, and develop public-private partnerships. It operates in a transparent manner, and it is open to participation by all organizations that commit to jointly agreed responsibilities and rules.