Europe’s Digital Identity Framework and the Future of Trusted Registries

The European Union’s Digital Identity Framework, known as eIDAS 2.0, is setting a new benchmark for how countries can approach trust and interoperability in the digital age. Once implemented, every EU citizen and business will be able to use a European Digital Identity Wallet to prove identity, share credentials, and access both public and private services securely across borders.

The framework aims to build a federated model of trust where each member state retains control over its digital infrastructure but agrees on a common set of standards that make systems work together. This approach recognises that interoperability does not require centralisation. It requires alignment.

The European experience offers three key lessons for other regions designing their own digital registries.

• First, policy and legal frameworks must come before technology. Interoperability can succeed only when countries recognise each other’s credentials through formal agreements.

• Second, user control is essential for adoption. Citizens must be able to decide how their data is shared and with whom.

• Third, common standards, not common systems, are what allow digital registries to scale. Shared data formats, governance principles, and verification protocols ensure that systems can speak to one another without losing sovereignty.

For developing economies, the EU’s model provides both an example and a caution. It shows that large-scale interoperability is possible, but it also highlights the importance of trust, privacy, and legal consistency.

As Sutra continues to explore how trust registries can enable secure and inclusive digital exchange, Europe’s evolving identity framework remains a valuable reference point for what coordinated governance and open standards can achieve.