Belgium: Accelerating European Blockchain Infrastructure
Belgium gears up to fast-track the establishment of a European blockchain infrastructure throughout its tenure leading the Council of the European Union in early 2024.
The nation’s administration aims to expedite the creation of a European blockchain infrastructure during its Council of the European Union presidency at the start of 2024. This endeavor is designed to streamline the secure storage of official documents, encompassing credentials like driving licenses and property titles.
Mathieu Michel, the Secretary of State for Digitization in Belgium, highlighted that developing a public blockchain for pan-European infrastructure stands among the pivotal focus areas during the upcoming presidency. The overarching objectives include artificial intelligence (AI), online privacy, and fostering digital economy competencies.
Michel underscores the need to revitalize the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) project initiated by the European Commission in 2018, in conjunction with the European Blockchain Partnership, a coalition of the 27 EU member states along with Norway and Liechtenstein. He stressed the necessity for this to evolve into both a technical and political endeavor to construct a shared infrastructure effectively.
Presently, Italy, Croatia, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Luxembourg, and Romania have pledged support for the Europeum blueprint, with the project’s headquarters set to be established in Belgium.
Across various nations, the regulatory landscape concerning crypto and blockchain is steadily advancing. In a unified move in early November, 47 national governments committed to expeditiously integrate the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) — an emerging global standard for automatic exchange of information between tax authorities — into their respective legal frameworks.
