Belgium plans to accelerate the development of a European blockchain infrastructure during its presidency of the Council of the European Union in early 2024, according to the Belgian government. This proposal aims to facilitate secure storage of official documents such as driving licenses and property titles.

Belgium presents innovative proposal for Europe

Mathieu Michel, the Belgian State Secretary for Digitization, indicates that developing a public blockchain infrastructure for Europe is one of the four priorities of Belgium's upcoming presidency. The remaining three initiatives will focus on artificial intelligence (AI), online anonymity, and the skills required for the digital economy.

The European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) project was established in 2018 by the European Commission in collaboration with the European Blockchain Partnership, comprising the 27 EU member states, Norway, and Liechtenstein. Belgium intends to restart this project, as it believes that a public blockchain developed by EU member states is crucial for Europe.

Crypto adoption continues to rise in Europe

The adoption of cryptocurrencies continues to grow and gain popularity in Europe. Last week, we reported on German DZ Bank launching its own platform for storing and managing cryptocurrencies. Now, Belgium also shows its belief in cryptocurrency's future for Europe.

Other countries support the project's reboot. Currently, Italy, Croatia, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Luxembourg, and Romania have already signed up for the EBSI project. The project's headquarters will be located in Belgium.