TRACE4EU Consortium

TRACE4EU is a large-scale European consortium project focused on implementing document and product traceability solutions using the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI). Launched in 2022 with over 50 European organizations including 9 research institutions, 15 SMEs, and 6 government bodies across 14 countries, the consortium is led by Slovenia and operates under the European Commission's Digital Europe Programme. The project aims to create an "umbrella architecture" based on EBSI services to enable trusted cross-border digital transactions and document traceability.

The technical implementation focuses on integrating with the European Digital Identity Wallet under the eIDAS 2.0 regulation and leveraging Organizational Digital Identity (ODI) for business transactions. The project develops solutions for tracking physical products (such as seafood, agrifood, and batteries), documents, and digital transactions using distributed ledger technology. Key technical features include:

• Integration with EBSI nodes and services
• Implementation of Digital Product Passport (DPP)
• Compatibility with GAIA-X infrastructure
• Alignment with European technical standards through ETSI and CEN/CENELEC
• Cross-border document verification and preservation

The consortium has demonstrated significant progress through multiple technical deliverables and maintains active engagement with the European Blockchain Partnership (EBP) members and EBSI core team. Notable implementations include traceability pilots for various European products and secure business-to-business transaction systems, with a focus on establishing burden of proof and cybersecurity standards in decentralized ecosystems. The project represents a major initiative in developing the European digital single market's blockchain infrastructure.