A recent survey shows that more than half of the German population has no idea what EUDI wallet is. But the fact is that it will come next year. Reason enough to open your wallet wider and rummage through the small coins – digitally, of course.
EUDI, that’s not the name of a cute animated character, but… do you know? According to a representative survey by Bitkom, only 5 percent of Germans can correctly explain what it is all about. The abbreviation stands for European Digital Identity Wallet.
What is the EUDI wallet?
The planning for this goes back more than two years. In February 2024, the European Parliament passed an EU regulation. According to this amended eIDAS regulation, all EU member states are obliged to make an EUDI wallet available by 2027.
BASIC Thinking also reported on the digital wallet at the time – and pointed out that the wallet itself is not a new invention. Almost every smartphone already has one. You can use it to store tickets such as boarding passes. Payments with appropriate pay services are also possible.
With the EUDI wallet you always have your proof of identity and other documents such as your ID card, driving license or certificates with you throughout Europe. However, not as physical cards in your wallet or folded A4 printouts in your pocket, but digitally in an app on your smartphone.
From the German eID to the European wallet
It started with national digital identities and culminates in the EUDI wallet on January 2, 2027. The online identification function of the identity card (eID) is already recognized in Germany. The technology meets the highest eIDAS trust level. Next comes eIDAS 2.0.
While national digital identities such as eID were the basis, the EUDI wallet scales them across Europe into an interoperable system. But many people are now or will soon be asking themselves: Why? Digitalization promises, above all, more user-friendliness through less bureaucracy. Digital solutions are also more sustainable when they replace paper and other raw materials.
On the other hand, despite proclaimed security standards, technology automatically presents security risks in terms of data protection. With a credit card and printed insurance or purchase contracts, it is primarily up to you whether you keep them safe or lose them or disclose them.
Imagine renting a car on vacation in Portugal. So far that has meant: dig out your driver’s license, show your credit card, maybe look for a copy of your insurance policy. Things work differently with the EUDI wallet.
You open the app, release the necessary documents using your fingerprint or facial recognition – and the landlord can digitally check your driver’s license and identity in seconds. No paperwork, no language barrier with handwritten forms, no risk of forgetting an important document at the hotel.
The same principle applies to opening an account at a bank, enrolling at a university abroad or concluding a rental agreement: a tap of the finger replaces going to the office or scanning documents. But the question that is fundamentally more exciting is: How much do Germans actually know about the EUDI wallet?
More than half do not know the EUDI wallet
In the survey on behalf of the digital association Bitkom 1,004 people aged 16 and over took part. The survey showed that 52 percent – and therefore the majority – of the German population have never heard of the EUDI wallet.
18 percent know the term, but don’t know what it means. Minimally more (20 percent) know the background to the digital wallet, while only 5 percent can explain it well. Another 5 percent abstained.
BitkomPresident Ralf Wintergerst describes the EUDI wallet as “one of the most important innovations of these years – a secure digital identity for all Europeans.” But an educational campaign is needed because the “EUDI wallet should become the standard.”
To ensure that this is successful, over 100 companies have already signed up to a joint “Memorandum of Understanding” from the Federal Ministry for Digital and State Modernization Biktom connected. They want to quickly offer relevant applications to spread the EUDI wallet.
Also interesting: