The European Commission is funding a series of over 20 projects that intend to better electronic identification (eID) across Europe’s borders. I’ve decided to look further into this and examine the effects the funding will have on the wider business community in Europe.
The figure of €5.5 million comes from the Connecting Europe Facility, a funding programme that provides financial support for projects concerning transport, energy and telecoms. Due to its objectives relating to connectivity, the current round of funding for the electronic identification projects falls under the telecommunications category.
Major changes
A list of bidders for the funding indicates that government departments and initiatives are primarily set to the benefit from funding. For example, the UK Cabinet Office and the Netherlands’s Ministry of Economic Affairs have both received a maximum grant amount of €200,000 according to the list. Educational institutions, such as Stockholm University and Austria’s Graz University of Technology.
According to the list, funding will be used for a range of different activities, such as
- Research
- Establishment of eID nodes
- Establishment/upgrade of Pan-European Proxy Services (PEPS) in respective countries
The changes brought on by these activities is expected to be widespread.
Effects on business
While the funding will be used for state programmes, it can be said that there will be an effect on businesses in Europe. For example, an article detailing the programme states that:
“…there will be fewer burdens on citizens, public administrations and businesses: they will be able to access efficient and secure online services.
With eID, many more activities can be done easily online without losing time and money: no endless queues to get a stamp or countless paper forms to fill in.”
This statement implies that business activities such as financial transactions across nations in the continent will become easier – a boon for any business owner with a stake in several countries.
In summary, the funding is a promising sign of further development in European digital technology.
Avner Motaev
Avner Motaev is the director of Mobile2Business, a provider of telecommunications solutions to businesses in Austria. Mobile2Business is an official business partner of T-Mobile.