This convergence of understanding takes the key components and best-practice from the existing models and combines them into a new environment. Crucially, existing investments are not sacrificed and are re-used making evolution much more politically acceptable. Another feature is the incorporation of privately operated schemes as well as the recent concept of Attribute Providers to extend the use of digital identities to fully transactional information exchanges, which are in the control of the citizen rather than the Service Provider. This involves a shift in the way of thinking by Governments, but one which has already started to take place. This new model is able to be federated across Member States and is able to move towards achieving the Single European Digital Market goal.
This paper presents a very high levelled view as to how this new model is formed, can evolve from existing schemes and might be successfully exploited within a revenue-generating business model.