AEGIS: Vision 2030: The Foundation of the European Digital Identity
We have talked a lot about infrastructure in this series. About saving lives through connected health data and unleashing our economy by slashing bureaucracy.
But all these use cases from the emergency room in Spain to hiring an engineer in the Netherlands share a common, critical bottleneck.
They all require that we can prove, beyond a doubt and digitally, who we are.
Without a secure, universally accepted digital identity, the vision of a "Digital Europe" remains a castle in the air, built on the shaky foundation of scanned ID cards and insecure password databases. AEGIS Vision 2030 is nothing less than providing this foundation: The European Digital Identity (EUDI).
The Problem: Identity in the 21st Century is Broken
Today, we live in an absurd reality. We use cutting-edge smartphones, but to open a bank account, we often still have to wave at a camera and twist our physical ID card back and forth ("Video-Ident"). To sign an employment contract in another EU country, we have to be physically present or rely on insecure digital signatures.
Every online service builds its own little identity silo. We have hundreds of passwords, and our most personal data is scattered across the servers of tech giants in the US and China. This is not just inconvenient; it's a massive security risk and a loss of sovereignty.
The Vision: Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI)
AEGIS is not building the EUDI architecture as a central database—that would be a privacy nightmare. We are building it on the principle of Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI).
The vision for 2030 looks like this:
- The Wallet Belongs to You: Your digital identity resides exclusively on your own device (e.g., in the Secure Element of your smartphone), not in the cloud.
- Verifiable Credentials: Your state issues you digital, cryptographically signed credentials (ID card, driver's license, health card, university degree).
- Selective Disclosure: When you need to identify yourself online, you decide which data to share. To confirm your age for an online purchase, you no longer have to show your entire ID with your name and address. The wallet cryptographically proves only the fact: "Person is over 18".
AEGIS as the "Trust Layer"
AEGIS is the infrastructure that makes this vision a reality. We are not building the wallets (others are doing that), but the Trust Layer that connects everything.
- Borderless Acceptance: AEGIS ensures that a digital driver's license from Germany can be technically verified and accepted by a car rental company in Italy—in fractions of a second.
- Ecosystem Integration: We integrate the EUDI deeply into the Powerhouse and eHealth scenarios we have described. The doctor in Spain accesses your data because you authorized him with your EUDI wallet. The engineer signs his employment contract in the Netherlands legally securely with his EUDI.
Conclusion: The Key to Digital Europe
The European Digital Identity is more than just a digital ID. It is the master key for a truly integrated, digital single market. It is the foundation upon which we build trust in a digital world.
With this article, we conclude our series on the AEGIS architecture. The vision is clear, the technology is ready. We are ready to build the foundation.
