22 European Nations Form New Blockchain Partnership

By Sujha Sundararajan
A group of 22 European nations has formed a new blockchain partnership aimed to exchange information on the technology.

The countries, including the U.K., France, Germany, Norway, Spain and the Netherlands, signed a declaration on Tuesday establishing the new group, dubbed the European Blockchain Partnership, according to a release from the European Commission, which led the effort.

The collaboration is aimed to avoid "fragmented approaches" to the technology by sharing technical and regulatory expertise among member states, as well as creating ways to promote blockchain applications across the EU-wide Digital Single Market.

Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, stated that all public services will use blockchain technology in the future, and that the partnership would turn the "enormous potential of blockchain into better services for citizens".

As well as enabling member states to work together, the partnership also aims to facilitate the interoperability and implementation of blockchain services.

Gabriel continued:
"Blockchain is a great opportunity for Europe and member states to rethink their information systems, to promote user trust and the protection of personal data, to help create new business opportunities and to establish new areas of leadership, benefiting citizens, public services and companies."

The news comes after the EU launched the Blockchain Observatory and Forum in February. Soon after that, the European Commission said it would host a Fintech Lab to foster emerging technologies including blockchain starting from the middle of 2018.

The new partnership follows a study conducted by the EU last November that assessed potential of an EU-wide blockchain infrastructure.

EU Commission flag image via Shutterstock