Discussion topics
Introduction
On 3 June 2021, the European Commission adopted Recommendation (EU) 2021/946, calling on Member States to cooperate closely with the Commission on the development of a Common Union Toolbox for a European Digital Identity Framework. A core component of this Toolbox is the Architecture and Reference Framework (ARF), which defines high-level technical requirements, specifications, and procedures for the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet ecosystem.
Since its initial publication, the ARF has been developed and maintained through iterative releases, supported by structured technical discussions within the European Digital Identity Cooperation Group (EDICG), its expert sub-groups, and public consultation via GitHub.
In 2025, 24 topics were identified for discussion. In the 2026 iteration, 15 topics were identified: 11 are reopened topics requiring further refinement, while the remaining 4 are newly proposed discussions.
Objective
The Architecture and Reference Framework (ARF) defines high-level requirements for the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet, serving as the foundation for developing the technical specifications, standards, and procedures referenced by the European Commission in the implementing acts of the European Digital Identity Regulation. These elements ensure a consistent and standardised implementation of the EUDI Wallet ecosystem.
Drafting Process
The Architecture and Reference Framework (ARF) is developed in close collaboration with Member States, experts from the European Digital Identity Cooperation Group, and with feedback from industry and the wider community via GitHub.
Each discussion topic is documented in a Discussion Paper, refined until consensus is reached, and then integrated into the next ARF release. An overview of all papers and the ARF versions they contributed to is available in this file at topics.
Once integrated, a Discussion Paper is no longer updated. Its content may become outdated due to:
- editorial adjustments at the time of integration,
- interdependence with later discussion topics, or
- continuous feedback received through Confluence, GitHub, and internal reviews.
Historic Discussion Papers are not normative. The authoritative requirements are always those in the latest version of Annex 2 of the ARF.
The process of defining high-level requirements consists of six steps:
- In the GitHub discussion area a discussion topic is created, with the reason why this refinement is planned and labelled as refinement round topic.
- A discussion paper on the topic is published on GitHub and on this page as soon it is available.
- The discussion paper includes the refinement reason, approach, and if applicable, proposed updated HLRs or updates for ARF main text.
- The discussion remains open for three weeks, and while responses to all the comments may not be provided, all input will be carefully considered.
- Approximately seven weeks after the discussion paper is published, the Commission will release an updated ARF version on GitHub, incorporating revisions to the topic.
- The published ARF version remains open for further comments on GitHub.
The topics are subject to change, and the order of the topics may be adjusted based on the feedback received during the discussions. The progress of the discussions can be tracked on the ARF Roadmap.
Topics
Topics are organised into seven iterations, each focusing on a specific set of subjects to be included in an ARF document release. Below is the list of topics with links to their corresponding discussion papers. The requirements from each discussion paper will be consolidated and integrated into the major release at the end of each iteration, ensuring a structured and iterative development process for the ARF.
Iteration 1
Iteration 1 is planned from 25 February 2026 to 22 April 2026 covering the following topics:
| Topic | Title | Link to Paper | Link to Roadmap | Link to Discussion | Integrated into ARF version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Wallet Unit Attestation (WUA) and Key Attestation (Refinement Round) | Open | Roadmap | Discussion | Open |
| X | Relying Party registration (Refinement Round) | Paper | Roadmap | Discussion | Open |
Iteration 2
Iteration 2 is planned from 1 April 2026 to 20 May 2026 covering the following topics:
| Topic | Title | Link to Paper | Link to Roadmap | Link to Discussion | Integrated into ARF version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Wallet to Wallet interaction (Refinement Round) | Open | Roadmap | Discussion | Open |
| U | EUDI Wallet Trust Mark (Refinement Round) | Open | Roadmap | Discussion | Open |
Iteration 3
Iteration 3 is planned from 22 April 2026 to 17 June 2026 covering the following topics:
| Topic | Title | Link to Paper | Link to Roadmap | Link to Discussion | Integrated into ARF version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | Pseudonyms, including User authentication mechanism (Refinement Round) | Open | Roadmap | Discussion | Open |
| F | Digital Credential API (Refinement Round) | Open | Roadmap | Discussion | Open |
Iteration 4
Iteration 4 is planned from 20 May 2026 to 15 July 2026 covering the following topics:
| Topic | Title | Link to Paper | Link to Roadmap | Link to Discussion | Integrated into ARF version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA | Support of Electronic Payments Customer Authentication (SCA) with the Wallet (Refinement Round) | Open | Roadmap | Discussion | Open |
| AB | Digital Signature using the EUDI Wallet (New) | Open | Roadmap | Discussion | Open |
SUMMER BREAK
Iteration 5
Iteration 5 is planned from 26 August 2026 to 21 October 2026 covering the following topics:
| Topic | Title | Link to Paper | Link to Roadmap | Link to Discussion | Integrated into ARF version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | User requesting data deletion to relying parties (Refinement Round) | Open | Open | Open | Open |
| M | User reporting unlawful or suspicious request of data to DPAs (Refinement Round) | Open | Open | Open | Open |
| I | Natural person representing another natural person (Refinement Round) | Open | Open | Open | Open |
Iteration 6
Iteration 6 is planned from 23 September 2026 to 18 November 2026 covering the following topics:
| Topic | Title | Link to Paper | Link to Roadmap | Link to Discussion | Integrated into ARF version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC | Cryptographic binding of attestations (New) | Open | Open | Open | Open |
| G | Zero Knowledge Proof (Refinement Round) | Open | Open | Open | Open |
Iteration 7
Iteration 7 is planned from 21 October 2026 to 16 December 2026 covering the following topics:
| Topic | Title | Link to Paper | Link to Roadmap | Link to Discussion | Integrated into ARF version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AD | User binding in proximity flows (New) | Open | Open | Open | Open |
| AE | Liveness tests in remote flows (New) | Open | Open | Open | Open |