The European Wallet Consortium (EWC) Large-Scale Pilot explores the application of the EUDI Wallet in cross-border travel, transport, and payment scenarios. The analysis below maps how EWC addresses each interoperability dimension within our framework.

Organisational Interoperability

Legal Interoperability

  • Comparison of ICAO and EU regulatory frameworks governing the Digital Travel Credential and data-protection requirements. (D2.1 Digital Travel Credential v1)

  • Emphasis on the need for cross-border data-sharing agreements and harmonised consent processes in travel-booking scenarios. (D2.2 Booking of Travel or Stay v1)

  • Integration of API/APIS, GDPR, and border-control requirements in automated passenger information workflows. (D2.3 Automation of Passenger Information v1.2)

  • Application of EDPB privacy-by-design and non-discrimination principles to biometric and passenger-flow systems. (D2.4 Passenger Flow Facilitation v1.2)

  • Alignment of payment processes with PSD3/PSR and eIDAS 2 for strong customer authentication and trust in digital identity–based payments. (D2.5 Payments, Enablers & Services v1)

  • Specification of legal mandates for PID issuance, levels of assurance (LoA), and supervisory oversight mechanisms. (D3.3 PID Country Enrolment Process Definition v1)

  • Definition of liability frameworks and supervisory responsibilities under the proposed ecosystem governance model. (D4.4 Recommendation for Ecosystem Governance and Trust Model v1.0)

  • Analysis of liability fragmentation, penalty regimes, and free-wallet provisions under eIDAS 2 to ensure consistent enforcement across Member States. (D4.5 eIDAS Economic Model Analysis v1.0 FINAL)

  • Mapping of operational requirements for qualified and non-qualified EAAs to corresponding eIDAS annexes and legal obligations. (D4.6/7 QEAA Operational Services v2.1)

Semantic Interoperability

  • Bridging of ICAO DTC and ARF data models through a unified PhotoID credential compatible with ISO/IEC 23220. (D2.1 Digital Travel Credential v1)

  • Definition of common data attributes and metadata for travel booking and cross-service exchanges. (D2.2 Booking of Travel or Stay v1)

  • Alignment of ICAO, IATA, and SD-JWT Verifiable Credential schemas for consistent interpretation of travel identity information. (D2.3 Automation of Passenger Information v1.2)

  • Development of biometric attribute semantics and standardised consent metadata to ensure privacy and interoperability. (D2.4 Passenger Flow Facilitation v1.2)

  • Definition of SCA (Strong Customer Authentication) data schemas and rulebooks linking payment attributes to verified identities. (D2.5 Payments, Enablers & Services v1)

  • Description of the PID attribute lifecycle semantics, covering issuance, update, revocation, and verification steps. (D3.3 PID Country Enrolment Process Definition v1)

  • Mapping of ARF roles to ToIP (Trust over IP) layers to enable cross-framework understanding of identity and trust semantics. (D4.4 Recommendation for Ecosystem Governance and Trust Model v1.0)

  • Definition of namespaces, rulebooks, data models, and sample datasets harmonising EAAs across ecosystems. (D4.6/7 QEAA Operational Services v2.1)

  • Publication of quarterly-frozen EWC RFC profiles that stabilise attribute semantics across wallet and verifier implementations. (D4.11 Test Environment Supporting All Scenarios Across the Digital Travel Credentials Use Case v1)

Technical Interoperability

  • Implementation of selective-disclosure mechanisms enabling interoperability between ICAO and ARF credential formats. (D2.1 Digital Travel Credential v1)

  • Integration of photo-based verification and cross-system authentication workflows in booking and travel processes. (D2.2 Booking of Travel or Stay v1)

  • Deployment of OCR/NFC-based credential capture and verification pipelines supporting multiple identity standards. (D2.3 Automation of Passenger Information v1.2)

  • Development of end-to-end biometric orchestration and interoperability between different identity platforms. (D2.4 Passenger Flow Facilitation v1.2)

  • Pilot implementation of OpenID4VP combined with EMV 3DS for seamless cross-domain payment and identity interoperability. (D2.5 Payments, Enablers & Services v1)

  • Documentation of verification methods (eID, video identification, QES) and associated assurance levels. (D3.3 PID Country Enrolment Process Definition v1)

  • Proposal of a federated trust registry and Layer-2 trust-spanning protocol for cross-ecosystem validation and discovery. (D4.4 Recommendation for Ecosystem Governance and Trust Model v1.0)

  • Identification of trust-list dependencies, revocation-status mechanisms, and cryptographic anchor management for credential lifecycle management. (D4.5 eIDAS Economic Model Analysis v1.0 FINAL, D4.6/7 QEAA Operational Services v2.1)

  • Deployment of a DLT-based trust network to host revocation data, trust anchors, and discovery endpoints for wallets and verifiers. (D4.10 Shared Network Infrastructure Available v1)

  • Operation of the Joinup Interoperability Test Bed (ITB) to validate real wallets, issuers, and verifiers against EWC RFC profiles in production-like conditions. (D4.11 Test Environment Supporting All Scenarios Across the Digital Travel Credentials Use Case v1)

Summary

The European Wallet Consortium (EWC) interprets interoperability as a multi-layer coordination effort combining governance, regulation, and technical testing around the Digital Travel Credential (DTC) and related wallet use cases. Its deliverables show that interoperability depends on clearly defined roles, legal alignment, and the integration of national and sectoral actors into a shared governance and testing environment.

EWC highlights:

  1. Organisational interoperability through collaboration among airlines, border authorities, payment providers, and digital-identity agencies.

  2. Legal interoperability by aligning ICAO, eIDAS 2.0, and GDPR frameworks and defining liability models.

  3. Semantic interoperability via harmonised data formats for travel credentials and passenger information.

  4. Technical interoperability through shared infrastructures such as the EWC Test Environment and Joinup Interoperability Test Bed (ITB).

While EWC does not explicitly reference the EUDI Wallet Toolbox or Architecture & Reference Framework (ARF), its design and testing approach clearly align with these common EU frameworks that guide all Large-Scale Pilots.

Notes

Below are selected excerpts from public EWC deliverables that support the interoperability dimensions described above.

  • Organisational Interoperability:


    • D2.1 Digital Travel Credential v1
      “The implementation of the Digital Travel Credential (DTC) requires close collaboration between airlines, airport operators, and border authorities to ensure secure and efficient passenger processing.”
      (Section 2.2 – Ecosystem Roles)

    • D2.3 Automation of Passenger Information v1.2
      “Coordination between carriers, Member State authorities and identity providers is critical to the automation of Advance Passenger Information.”
      (Section 4 – Stakeholder Collaboration)

    • D4.4 Recommendation for Ecosystem Governance and Trust Model v1.0
      “The EWC governance model proposes an Ecosystem Governance Framework (EGF) defining roles, responsibilities, and the management of trust relationships between participants.”
      (Page 8 – Governance Framework Definition)

  • Legal Interoperability:

    • D2.1 Digital Travel Credential v1
      “The DTC solution aligns with both ICAO Doc 9303 and EU regulations, ensuring compliance with the eIDAS 2.0 framework and GDPR principles.”
      (Section 1.3 – Regulatory Alignment)
    • D2.5 Payments, Enablers & Services v1
      “Legal and liability considerations have been analysed to ensure that the wallet-based payment and identity verification flows comply with PSD3 and eIDAS.”
      (Section 3 – Legal Aspects)
    • D4.4 Recommendation for Ecosystem Governance and Trust Model v1.0
      “The EGF should include a clear definition of liability and supervision mechanisms between issuers, verifiers, and relying parties.”
      (Page 11 – Trust and Liability)
    • D4.5 eIDAS Economic Model Analysis v1.0 FINAL
      Discusses liability fragmentation and supervisory consistency across Member States.
      (Page 9)

  • Semantic Interoperability:

    • D2.3 Automation of Passenger Information v1.2
      “EWC defines a common data model for passenger information exchange aligned with the ICAO DTC schema and compatible with national API systems.”
      (Section 5 – Data Model and Exchange Format)

    • D2.4 Passenger Flow Facilitation v1.2
      “Biometric and personal data structures are standardised to guarantee interoperability across border-control systems.”
      (Section 6 – Data Format Specification)

    • D2.5 Payments, Enablers & Services v1
      “Payment and identity attributes follow a harmonised schema enabling mutual interpretation of user claims.”
      (Section 4 – Attribute Model)

    • D4.6/7 QEAA Operational Services v2.1
      “Qualified Electronic Attribute Authorities (QEAA) maintain a common namespace and data model for wallet attributes.”
      (Page 5 – Operational Data Structures)

  • Technical Interoperability:

    • D4.11 Test Environment Supporting All Scenarios v1
      “A shared test environment has been deployed supporting all DTC scenarios to validate interoperability among different implementations.”
      (Page 3 – Test Environment Overview)

    • D4.10 Shared Network Infrastructure Available v1
      “The EWC network infrastructure provides a common trust layer interconnecting pilots and participating Member States.”
      (Page 4 – Infrastructure Topology)

    • D4.9 Roadmap on Deployment, Test Environment and Reusable Components v1
      “The Joinup Interoperability Test Bed (ITB) was adopted to test the conformance of wallet and service components.”
      (Section 2 – Testing and Validation)

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