POSITION | DIGITAL POLICY | E-GOVERNMENT
Regulation to establish EU Business Wallets Evaluation of the European Commission’s regulatory proposal.
13 February 2026 German industry welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for the establishment of EU Business Wallets (EBW). The introduction of EU Business Wallets will make it much easier for companies to interact with public administrations across Member States. It has the potential to significantly reduce bureaucratic costs and can act as an anchor of trust between companies and between companies and public authorities. When introducing the wallets, it must be ensured that employees can legitimately carry out certain administrative procedures for their company via the wallet. However, the EU Business Wallet will only strengthen the digital single market if it replaces existing national solutions and is not introduced in addition to them. Otherwise, the 160 billion Euro in savings for businesses estimated by the European Commission will not be unlocked. Apart from Business-to-Government application scenarios, Business-to-Business use cases will significantly accelerate the EU-wide uptake of the EBW. BDI’s policy recommendations at a glance: EU Business Wallets as part of a full-fledged EU digital identity framework can significantly facilitate the interactions between businesses and governments (B2G) as well as between businesses (B2B). EU Business Wallets will provide organisations with a verified digital business identity. We welcome the clear anchoring of the EBW in the eIDAS ecosystem and the technical and regulatory cornerstones of the EBW. While German industry appreciates the European Commission’s proposal for a regulation to establish EBW in general, the co-legislators must adopt targeted amendments to ensure the usability of the EU Business Wallets for both providers and users. Such amendments should include: ▪
EBW owner identification data: Since the possibility of using an EBW depends on a data set that is usually issued by public authorities based on registers, Member States must be obliged to create the necessary preconditions.
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entry into force and application: We suggest that the provisions on the EBW should apply as soon as possible. As German industry needs an EBW for more efficient B2B and B2G interactions, we would appreciate a more ambitious timeline.
To ensure that EU Business Wallets can be seamlessly integrated in business processes and also fulfil businesses’ requirements in terms of data protection and cybersecurity, industry should be closely involved in its development and implementation. For example, the findings developed within the WE BUILD consortium should be considered in the legislative process. Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e.V. / Federation of German Industries EU Transparency Register: 1771817758-48 | German Lobbyregister: R000534 Steven Heckler | Innovation, Security and Technology | T: +49 30 2028-1523 | s.heckler@bdi.eu | www.bdi.eu