The event provided a deep dive into the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI), showcasing real-world use cases and Belgium’s leadership in driving blockchain adoption within the EU. Here’s what stood out:

• Mathieu Michel, Belgium’s State Secretary for Digitalisation, emphasized the need for trust and collaboration to scale blockchain adoption, celebrating Belgium’s contributions to establishing the EUROPEUM-EDIC consortium.
• Piotr Rutkowski, Vice-Chair of EDIC, highlighted the consortium’s potential to empower Member States to enhance public services using EBSI.
• Pierre Marro, Policy Officer at the European Commission, outlined EBSI’s roadmap and governance transition, marking a significant shift toward Member State ownership.
• Jonas Žalinkevičius detailed the technical expansion of EBSI nodes, enhancing security and compliance with frameworks like eIDAS2.
• Daniël Du Seuil and Robby Goetinck from Howest Cyber3Lab demonstrated the use of VCs for student IDs, offering a glimpse into the real-world impact of self-sovereign digital identity solutions.
• Steffen Schwalm showcased blockchain’s role in solving traceability challenges, from seafood supply chains to copyright management, as part of the TRACE4EU Consortium.
• Evrim Tan and Ricardo Simões provided insights into governance and public-private collaboration, underscoring their importance for scaling blockchain solutions.

Takeaways from the Seminar

✅ Trust and collaboration are critical for scaling blockchain adoption.
✅ Real-world use cases like diplomas, traceability, and social security highlight blockchain’s transformative potential.
✅ Belgium is a leader in blockchain innovation, with the successful deployment of an EBSI-NE node by Howest solidifying its role in the EU ecosystem.
✅ Public-private partnerships are essential for driving interoperability, security, and adoption of blockchain technologies across Europe.