The European Commission (EC) has announced that 22 member countries have signed a declaration on the establishment of a European Blockchain Partnership.

Digital Day 2018 took place in Brussels on 10th April 2018. The EC had previously stated that the one-day event would include a declaration aimed at building a European partnership in blockchain technologies.

Signatories include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK.

The declaration will bring together member states to exchange their experience and expertise in technical and regulatory fields. The objective is to launch EU-wide blockchain applications across the Digital Single Market for the benefit of the public and private sectors.

"In the future, all public services will use blockchain technology. 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,” Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, said. “The Partnership launched today enables Member States to work together with the European Commission to turn the enormous potential of blockchain technology into better services for citizens".

The EC said that close cooperation between member states would help in avoiding fragmented approaches and ensure interoperability and wider deployment of blockchain-based services.

“The Partnership will contribute to the creation of an enabling environment, in full compliance with EU laws and with clear governance models that will help services using blockchain flourish across Europe,” it said.

Earlier in February, the EC launched the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum and has already invested more than EUR 80 million in projects supporting the use of blockchain in technical and societal areas. It plans to allocate around EUR 300 million more to blockchain by 2020.