Following Norway and Liechtenstein, Ukraine became the third non-EU country to join the European Blockchain Partnership (EBP), an initiative by 27 member states to deliver cross-border public services.
Ukraine plans to expand its blockchain network partnership with other countries with the ultimate goal of integrating its digital economic space with the EU.
Oleksii Zhmerenetskyi, head of the parliamentary group Blockchain4Ukraine, and Konstantin Yarmolenko, founder and CEO of Virtual Assets of Ukraine, wrote a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, declaring their intention for Ukraine to join the EBP and the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) in July 2021. Von der Leyen confirmed Ukraine’s accession as an observer.
“Ukraine’s integration into the European Blockchain Partnership will strengthen joint work on the introduction of blockchain technology in government registries and services,” Ukraine’s deputy minister of digital transformation Alexander Bornyakov was quoted by his department as stating.
Ukraine is working towards full membership, targeting additional blockchain partnerships to provide the citizens of Ukraine with cross-border public services including verification of educational credentials/diplomas and identity credentials.
An EU-wide blockchain partnership also benefits refugees and asylum seekers, as Ukraine’s accession to the EBP would help with refugee/asylum registration and support, and the recognition of Ukrainian documents for higher education and driver’s licenses for Ukrainian refugees in Europe.
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