The Aptitude EU Digital Identity Wallet Project Consortium gathered in Berlin on 20–21 April 2026 for its first six-month progress review since the project launched in October 2025. Hosted at the offices of the Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband (DSGV), Aptitude Connect brought together 43 experts from 12 EU Member States and Ukraine, including national authorities, research organisations, and industry leaders. Over 9 sessions and 5 workshops, participants reviewed progress, aligned on priorities, and defined the next steps toward the deployment of the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) across Europe.
Six Months of Progress
Since its launch in October 2025, the Aptitude project has made significant progress across its four pilot use cases. Key specifications have been completed, real-life scenarios defined, and technical frameworks established laying the groundwork for the implementation and piloting phases ahead.
Aptitude Connect also marked a milestone beyond the agenda: Estonia formally joined the consortium, bringing the total number of participating countries to 13 and further strengthening the project’s European reach.
Over two days, each team presented its initial steps and findings, aligned on priorities, and took part in a cross-border end-to-end journey simulation demonstrating the growing technical maturity of the European identity wallet in real-life conditions.
Four Use Cases Taking Shape
Aptitude is piloting the EUDIW across four areas of daily life:
Digital Travel Credentials: enabling citizens to travel across Europe using a secure digital version of their passport, simplifying airport procedures and identity verification. The Digital Travel Credentials team, bringing together more than 30 partners across Europe, presented its state of implementation, outlining four pilot scenarios covering travel within and outside the Schengen and a full user journey from credential issuance to identity verification at travel checkpoints, with concrete experimentation planned for Geneva in September 2026.
Tickets & Check–in: allowing travellers to book accommodation, access transport services, and benefit from student travel perks through the digital secure wallet. The Tickets & Check-in team has brought together more than 20 partners across Europe to develop 11 real-life scenarios covering travel, hotel check-in, and student services testing how the EU Digital Identity Wallet can simplify everyday journeys for European citizens.
Mobile Vehicle Registration Certificate (mVRC): enabling drivers to present vehicle credentials digitally, access mobility services, and delegate driving rights in an interoperable way across Europe. The Mobile Vehicle Registration team, working with more than 20 partners across Europe, has completed a European rulebook for the mVRC and defined 9 test scenarios. A survey across participating Member States confirmed that most countries already have digital vehicle credentials in production providing a strong foundation for cross-border interoperability.
Payments & Banking: strengthening online and in-store transactions through strong customer authentication, making digital payments safer and more convenient for citizens and businesses alike. The Payments & Banking team is bringing together more than 35 partners including banks, payment providers, and technology partners. Two use cases are being developed: one enabling citizens to securely log into their banking app using the EU Digital Identity Wallet, and one allowing wallet-supported payments with merchants.
On Track for 2026
The Aptitude project runs until September 2027, with EU Member States committed to delivering operational European Digital Identity Wallets to citizens towards the end of 2026. The Berlin meeting reinforced the consortium’s shared commitment to meeting this milestone, with clear roadmaps established for the next phase of testing and deployment.
As the project moves into its implementation phase, the coming months will see pilot testing advance across all four use cases bringing the EUDIW closer to becoming a reality for citizens across Europe.
Aptitude’s communication efforts are also gaining momentum. In its first six months, the project’s digital channels have grown significantly with more than 2,000 website visits, nearly 18,000 social media impressions, and LinkedIn followers more than doubling. These results reflect the growing interest and awareness around the EU Digital Identity Wallet across Europe.
The consortium will convene again in September for its annual review, where results from the running phase of piloting will be presented.
“Aptitude Connect marked an important milestone in our collective journey toward the European Digital Identity Wallet. In just six months, Aptitude consortium has made remarkable progress across all work streams, and the energy and commitment we saw in Berlin gives us great confidence in what lies ahead. With participating countries on track to deliver operational wallets to citizens by the end of 2026, we are proud to be leading this effort together.”
Florent Tournois, Project Coordinator, ANTS – Ministère de l’Intérieur, France
About Aptitude
Aptitude (Advanced Project for Trusted Identity Technologies and Unified Digital Ecosystem) is a European Large-Scale Pilot co-funded by the European Union under the Digital Europe Programme. Coordinated by the Agence Nationale des Titres Sécurisés (ANTS) of the French Ministère de l’Intérieur, the project brings together more than 117 public and private partners from 12 EU Member States (Estonia, France, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal) as well as Ukraine.
Running from October 2025 to September 2027, Aptitude builds on the findings of previous European Large-Scale Pilots – NOBID, DC4EU, POTENTIAL, and EWC – to test, deploy, and scale the EUDIW in real-life conditions across Europe.
Co-funded by the European Union under the Digital Europe Programme.
Website: https://aptitude.digital-identity-wallet.eu/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aptitudeeu/
Youtube: www.youtube.com/@aptitudeeu
