STORK (Secure idenTity Across boRders linKed), a pilot scheme co-funded by the EU aiming to implement EU-wide interoperability of electronic identities (eIDs), has unveiled details of its five planned pilot projects.
The pilots (cross-border authentication for electronic services, safer chat, eID student mobility, eID for the delivery of electronic documents and EU citizen change of address) are scheduled to take place between June 2010 and May 2011.
Since STORK was announced in June 2008, seven work packages have been introduced combining the expertise from independent and government-funded organisations across the 13 participating EU Member States (and Iceland). Each led by a different Member State, the work packages will support research critical to pilot deployment and implementation, including the continued development of and lessons learnt from existing initiatives and studies (such as IDABC) from across the EU. The models, frameworks and theories developed by the work packages over the three-year duration of STORK will ensure maximum compatibility with existing national infrastructures and eID standards, with the potential for full scalability across the EU.
“The success of the pilots in a real-life environment is heavily dependent on the deliverables from all the work packages,” comments Co-Chairman of STORK, Miguel Álvarez Rodríguez. “Amongst other factors they will address existing national frameworks and eID inventories, future technological developments on eID, the required cross-border process flows, the design and development of a set of common specifications, interoperable architectures and protocols for cross-border electronic authentication.”
The pilots include the development of a demonstrator for cross-border eID authentication; the promotion of safe use of the Internet by children and young people; ease of mobility for students wishing to study in other EU Member States; the secure delivery of citizen and business electronic documents and assisting citizens relocating across Member States.
Álvarez Rodríguez says: “The support from the work packages is demonstrable in pilot one, for example. The trust level provided by the chosen eID credential, for instance user and password, eID card or a digital certificate, or which personal eID attributes are required to access an online government service must be considered, as well as the service providers involved and the authentication and credential requirements of each Member State. During this pilot we will be testing several existing national eID applications, including the UK Government Gateway and Belgium’s LIMOSA portal, to demonstrate how will be achieved.”
The STORK work packages are:
· Work Package 1: Project management
· Work Package 2: eID inventory, trust and application groups
· Work Package 3: eID and upcoming technologies
· Work Package 4: eID process flows
· Work Package 5: eID and common specifications
· Work Package 6: Pilots (specification – definition – implementation – evaluation)
· Work Package 7: Communications and sustainability
Some 30 million national eID cards are used by citizens throughout the EU to access a variety of online public services, such as claiming social security and filing tax returns. However, one country’s eID card cannot be used to benefit from the same services in another.
STORK’s three-year remit is to ensure cross-border recognition of national eID systems that will enable businesses, citizens and government employees to use their identities in any Member State, resulting in saved time and money and promoting safer transactions, reduced risk of fraud and simpler processes.
About STORK (www.eid-stork.eu)
STORK is an ICT Policy Support Programme under the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP). The EU’s Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) aims to encourage the competitiveness of European enterprises. Part of CIP, the ICT Policy Support Programme, focuses on stimulating innovation and competitiveness through the wider uptake and optimal use of ICT by citizens, businesses and governments. In the i2010 eGovernment Action Plan, EU Member States recognised the importance of electronic identification management. By 2010, they aim to provide secure and convenient electronic systems for European citizens and businesses accessing public services in any country of the European Union. These should work at local, regional or national levels and comply with data protection regulations.
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