SEEBLOCKS.eu impact events in Brussels during European Standardisation Week

The second week of April 2025 was a big week for Blockchain Standardisation as Brussels hosted the ISO TC 307 Plenary Week. SEEBLOCKS.eu was there, too, with two big events:

• European Blockchain Standardisation Day on April 9, co-hosted with its sister project BlockStand and bringing together key stakeholders from policy, industry, academia, and standardisation bodies;

• Our own SEEBLOCKS.eu Impact Event on April 10, focusing on how we have impacted European Blockchain/DLT standardisation over the long arc of our project.

European Blockchain Standardisation Day, 9 April 2025

The dense two-day set of events kicked off with the joint welcome and introductory presentations of SEEBLOCKS.eu coordinator Rita Meneses and her counterpart in BlockStand, Justina Bieliauskaite to the first-ever European Blockchain Standardisation Day, co-located with the “ISO/TC 307 - Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies” Plenary from 7-11 April 2025 in Brussels.

Rita and Justina set the stage for the day’s activities with the theme of Bringing Europe to the Frontline of Blockchain Standardisation. They presented a panorama of respective key achievements of the projects to the participants to prepare them for the day’s topics. Each highlighted their respective contributions to the ICT Rolling Plan. The respective expert funding activities and their outcomes were presented. Repositories of information (such as the SEEBLOCKS.eu Visualisation Tool) made available to blockchain researchers, practitioners, and students made available by the projects were described. And importantly, the numerous success stories of our funded experts were highlighted.

Rita and Justina explained that the success stories of the experts funded by our respective projects illustrate that blockchain standards can boost innovation and support the uptake of practical use cases in high-impact areas—finance, digital identity management, value chain transparency, and many more. The rest of the day’s sessions were planned to demonstrate the truth and power of exactly those remarks through a series of panels populated by those very experts.

But before launching the day’s panels, the participants were greeted by the European Commission through their Policy officer at DG CNECT, who has been overseeing both projects over their duration. Pierre laid out the Commission’s perspective and policy objectives in his presentation on Shaping Europe’s Digital Future Through Blockchain.

The participants then “got down to work” in the many panel sessions offering deep dives and discussions on key topics that were addressed by our experts in their funded work. The first panel session concerned the Digital Wallet. External experts Eugenio Reggianini of the European Blockchain Association and Miguel Calero of Izertis joined our own experts, Paolo Campegiani of BlockStand and Markus Sabadello, who has contributed directly through SEEBLOCKS.eu-funded work to the standardisation processes of a fundamental building block of the Digital Wallet: the Decentralised Identifier (DID). The panel discussion revolved around the ever-more important role of the Digital Wallet in EU Digital Transformation policy, acting as a central artefact that will tie together many of our future public services, when every citizen is expected to have a Digital Wallet.

The next session concerned another key artefact in EU Digital Policy: the Digital Product Passport (DPP). Joachim Schwerin of DG GROW discussed blockchain as a key technology for the DPP, emphasising decentralisation and Web3 support, and the need for standardisation. SEEBLOCKS.eu expert Belen Suarez highlighted the DPP's role in informed consumer decisions, the importance of synchronising the value chain with open standards, and data integrity. David Dalhamut of Traced Systems discussed SEEBLOCKS.eu Use Case and pilot project on batteries, the problem of data silos and the need for incentivizing data-sharing, and engaging customers through gamification and tokenization. The panel’s considerations for the future included the relevance of digital payments, open source, voluntary technology adoption, security of DPP, decentralization, and technology scalability.

Our next panel did a deep dive on the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI). Steffen Schwalm (Blockstand Expert & SEEBLOCKS.eu evaluator, as well as EBSI representative) discussed with Jose Manuel Panizo Plaza (European Commission, DG DIGIT) discussed the role of EBSI in advancing key European initiatives. They noted that although EBSI is not yet governed by a specific regulatory framework, it is being actively developed under supportive policy-level initiatives. The current emphasis lies in the use of verifiable credentials anchored in blockchain and trust models, enabling more secure and trustworthy digital interactions. Positioned as a public good, EBSI is emerging as a central pillar for delivering trusted digital services in Europe. Its integration with regulatory efforts such as the eIDAS regulation underscores the importance of leveraging existing infrastructure to facilitate secure digital identity frameworks and cross-border services. Steffan and Jose also highlighted the vital role of standards in ensuring the sustainability and growth of EBSI. Key technical components include verifiable credentials (VCs), trust models, and decentralized identifiers. Standardisation efforts by organizations like CEN/CENELEC, ETSI, and particularly CEN JTC 19 are aligning policy-based requirements to support and enhance the EBSI framework. Looking forward, our discussants addressed the planned transition of EBSI’s operations and governance to the newly established European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (EDIC). This move is seen as a step toward reinforcing Europe's strategic autonomy in digital infrastructure and aligning EBSI with the broader objective of European technological sovereignty.

The breakout session on digital finance delved into the evolving landscape of cryptocurrencies and digital assets, with a particular focus on regulatory, technological, and adoption challenges. A central theme was the crucial need for interdisciplinary collaboration—specifically between legal and technical experts—in the development of standards (this emphasis due in particular to the participation of joint SEEBLOCKS.eu / BlockStand legal expert Christiana Aristidou). SEEBLOCKS.eu expert Christian Grafenauer brought in the technical perspective, as the Convenor of CEN/CENELEC JTC19 WG3 on Personal Identifiable Information (PII). The panel was rounded out with BlockStand expert Georg Brameshuber. Our panellists emphasised that standardisation serves as a bridge between legal frameworks and operational implementation, and that involving legal professionals early is vital to ensure that technologies are both compliant and effective. The discussion identified several persistent challenges in the digital finance space. A key issue is the difficulty in channelling capital effectively into innovation. Looking ahead, the panellists emphasised the need for greater representation of legal experts in the standardisation process to ensure a balanced and holistic approach. Striking the right balance between regulation and innovation remains a critical goal: over-regulation can stifle progress, while under-regulation may expose the ecosystem to undue risks. Furthermore, to boost user adoption, there is a pressing need to integrate digital infrastructure with services in ways that prioritise user convenience. Enhancing usability and visibility will be key to the successful deployment and adoption of EU-backed digital finance initiatives such as EBSI and MiCAR.

An afternoon session on Ledgers as Trust Enablers & Interoperability of Blockchains explored the critical role of DLTs in enabling trust, the importance of interoperability among blockchain systems, and the broader need for standardisation at multiple levels. Panellists include Petko Karamotchev (BlockStand Expert), Gyu Myoung Lee (SEEBLOCKS.eu Expert), Jerome Pons (BLOCKSTAND & SEEBLOCKS.eu expert), Bryn Bennett (Hacken), and Paolo Osvaldo Agnelli (alab.tech). The panel noted that trust is not eliminated by DLTs—it is simply transferred to systems, making the integrity and transparency of those systems paramount. The session also touched on the broader ethical and societal implications of blockchain. Building trustworthy data ecosystems that respect human rights and support digital autonomy was described as essential. Looking ahead, several priorities were identified: the creation of a European blockchain infrastructure that is open and accessible to all; the standardisation of documentation practices to enhance clarity and interoperability; and a strong focus on education to empower builders and sustain the growth of the blockchain ecosystem.

A final Plenary Panel on Future Blockchain Standardisation Activities & Actions saw Scott Farrell, the Chair of ISO TC 307, discussing the evolving landscape of blockchain standardisation with other panellists representing the Commission (Emilio Dávila-Gonzalez of DG CNECT), SDOs (Yves Lebouche of CEN CENELEC), and our own experts from SEEBLOCKS.eu and BlockStand (Ismael Arribas, Sebastiano Toffaletti, and Justina Bieliauskaite). The panellists highlighted that blockchain's momentum originates from grassroots market interests and specific communities, rather than from top-down legislative mandates. This organic growth underscores the importance of aligning standardisation efforts with real-world use cases. Looking ahead, several considerations were outlined. The panel encouraged greater gender and youth inclusion in standardisation activities and emphasized the feasibility of blockchain solutions for SMEs in the near future. Strong collaboration among stakeholders, especially through effective liaison between ISO and CEN technical committees, was identified as essential for meaningful progress. Harmonisation at the international level remains a key goal, along with aligning technical dimensions with EU policies and legal frameworks. The panel also stressed the importance of public infrastructure to support blockchain solutions, the development of clear procedural pathways within CEN/CLC/ETSI for creating standards, and the need to treat sustainability as a central pillar of these efforts. In conclusion, participants were invited to join the work of CEN/CLC JTC 19 and contribute to the ongoing development of blockchain standards in Europe.

SEEBLOCKS.eu Impact Event, 10 April 2025

On the day after the first European Blockchain Standardisation Day, SEEBLOCKS.eu was proud to host an event focused entirely on the impact of its activities and expert works on European Blockchain Standardisation over its twenty-four-month duration.

The day’s activities kicked off with a welcome plenary by SEEBLOCKS.eu coordinator Rita Meneses of Trust-IT Services, flanked by the principal investigators of the other two partners: Irina Tal of DCU, and Knut Blind of Fraunhofer ISI. The trio introduced the participants to a broad overview of the many contributions of SEEBLOCKS.eu to European Blockchain Standardisation and policy priorities, ranging from its expert funding programme to its many capacity-building resources and educational materials, and above all its contributions to standardisation documents and to the EU Rolling Plan of Standardisation.

Speaking of the Rolling Plan, the introductory session was then followed by a keynote speech by Dr. Jochen Friedrich of IBM, who is the Chair of the Task Force on the Rolling Plan. Dr. Friedrich’s presentation, titled European Commission Policy Objectives for Distributed Ledger Technologies – Rolling Plan for ICT Standardisation, emphasised the alignment of DLT initiatives with European digital policies and the need to foster innovation while ensuring coherence with ongoing standardisation efforts. He underlined the Commission’s commitment to supporting technological development in blockchain and DLT through coordinated policy and standardisation frameworks. SEEBLOCKS.eu itself has contributed to this roadmap by providing a five-year outlook and an international dimension on the most urgent needs and policy measures to standardisation, while addressing the latest ICT topics (e.g. Artificial Intelligence Act; Data Act; GDPR, eIDAS2, Smart Contracts, Sustainability, Interoperability across territories, amongst others).

After the lunch break, the participants “got down to work” for a series of panel sessions delving into some of the most important topics investigated by SEEBLOCKS.eu and its funded experts. The afternoon kicked off with a panel on Blockchain, DLT & other ICT needs within Europe, with panellists representing a variety of perspectives and topics: Lauriane Aufrant, ISO/IEC Convenor of JWG 5 on Natural Language Processing; Tom de Block, Alliance for AI, IoT, and Edge Continuum Innovation; Sharon Farrell, HSBooster & DCU; Marina Markezic, European Crypto Initiative; and Octavian Popescu, Cybersecurity expert from INSTAR & EUCOMREG. This panel presented the outcomes and insights of major initiatives such as SEEBLOCKS.eu and StandICT.eu, both of which have significantly contributed to the standardisation ecosystem in Europe. The panellists stressed the importance of convergence across emerging technologies—blockchain, AI, and IoT—and the need for coordinated standardisation across these domains. The discussion addressed challenges such as fragmented standards, inconsistent terminology (e.g., varying definitions of NFTs and smart contracts), and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. It was noted that exposure and education about standardisation are vital to engage a broader spectrum of domain experts. The HSbooster project was cited as a valuable example of supporting over 200 experts in their standardisation efforts. Overall, the session emphasised communication, openness, and mutual learning as keys to strengthening Europe’s leadership in standardisation.

The next panel then considered the problem of how to pass From local needs to global standards: International Priorities within Blockchain, DLT & complementary landscape, with participants representing perspectives from around the world:Serena Dell'Agli, BLOCKSTAND & European DIGITAL SME Alliance (Europe - Blockchain); Cristobal Henriquez, C&S Corporate Innovation Accelerator (Chile/South America - StartUps and Green Fintechs in LATAM); Shin'ichiro Matsuo, Georgetown University and University of Tokyo (Japan/Asia & USA/North America - Blockchain); and Christian Yepsen, IndicoGlobal & Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (Chile/South America - Standardisation). Some discussion highlights: Serena Dell'Agli emphasised the need to improve digital skills and raise awareness among SMEs about the benefits of standardisation. Shin'ichiro Matsuo emphasised the global nature of blockchain technologies, largely driven by grassroots developers, and noted that existing standard-setting bodies often fail to represent global needs. He stressed the need for bridging efforts between formal bodies and technical communities, particularly in the face of cybersecurity concerns and the lack of standardisation in quantum-proof cryptography. Christian Yepsen and Sandra Olguin explored the standardisation landscape in Latin America, revealing how local regulatory styles differ significantly from European approaches. They discussed how standards are often set via national legislation in LATAM and emphasised the role of sustainability and ESG priorities in shaping regional development. Key challenges identified included cross-domain communication gaps, knowledge translation, and regulatory fragmentation.

The next panel discussed an important EU priority: Blockchain & DLT as trust anchor infrastructure, with participants taken entirely from our SEEBLOCKS.eu pool of funded experts: Christian Grafenauer, Convener of CEN/CENELEC JTC19 WG3; Lee Gyu Myoung, Liverpool John Moores University; and Jerome Pons, Member of ISO TC307. Christian highlighted the challenges of ensuring privacy and trust under frameworks like the GDPR, and the importance of clear terminology to bridge language barriers. Gyu Myoung Lee presented blockchain as a cornerstone of Web 3.0, emphasising its integration with AI and virtual worlds. Jerome showcased use cases such as smart contract-enabled music purchasing platforms and the contributions of European projects like StandICT.eu and SEEBLOCKS.eu to ISO standardisation efforts, particularly in vocabulary and classification of smart contracts (e.g., DAOs, NFTs). The session explored the tension between trust and privacy—how blockchain's transparency can enhance trust but challenge anonymity. Layers of trust were dissected: from infrastructure and data integrity to participant reputation. There was also a clear distinction made between trust and trustworthiness, suggesting the need for user-centric and relational approaches to measuring trust.

After a brief coffee break, further EU priorities were explored in the panel on Blockchain & DLT and Smart Contracts as a trust service, once again with participants drawn entirely from our group of SEEBLOCKE.eu funded experts: Erik Andersen, ITU-T; Julien Bringer,, Convenor of ISO TC 307 JWG4 - Security, privacy and identity; Christiana Aristidou, CEN/CENELEC, ISO & ETSI; and Alastair Marke, Blockchain & Climate Institute. Julien reported on a group of activities conducted under the auspices of SEEBLOCKS.eu within the JWG4 around privacy, such as Privacy By Design, which is an essential trust component of smart contracts. Alastair reported on a fascinating use of Smart Contracts in the service of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, collected into a guidance handbook and including standardised frameworks for smart contracts. Christiana described her unique perspectives derived from the fact that she is also a practising lawyer, seeking transparent, predictable, smart contract functionality across jurisdictions through standardisation. She also promotes legal alignment that bridges that gap “between code and law” and assists regulators in assessing compliance and operational risks of smart contracts. Erik reported on his work in distributed public key infrastructures (DPKI). Here, too, the concept of trust exists, but as a form of consensus, which helps to avoid the “dilution” of trust between individual PKIs, which is relevant to the spread of smart contract use globally.

The day’s panel series closed with a session that once again broadened the perspective, but this time in a technical dimension, titled Blockchain and DLT within complementary ICT trends, and once again with a set of discussants drawn entirely from our pool of SEELBLOCKS.eu funded experts, but with widely varying backgrounds: Paul Ferris, European Distributed Computer Association; Paulo Gonçalves, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society; Shakira Bedoya Sanchez, Dansk Standard (TC 322); and Belen Suarez, Expert at ISO TC207 Environmental Sustainability. Paul opened the discussion with remarks on the importance of creating the conditions for sustainable standards, despite the pushback sometimes received in this regard from those who do not yet realise the role of standards in addressing climate-related issues. Paulo described his work in blockchain technology for multi-robot scenarios (e.g., fleets of robots in factories). He noted several standards-related problems that need to be addressed, involving semantic rigour, interoperability, and extensibility. Shakira then talked about the role that blockchain can play in carbon/biodiversity markets, improving accountability and transparency – but a pressing issue is exactly the lack of standardisation in this area. The working group “fintech in carbon markets” has been established to help address this lack. Continuing on the topic of environmental sustainability, Belen brought her perspective as an economist into the discussion. She emphasized the big picture encompassing the overall process which does not only involved the “negative” concerns such as compliance, but also the “positive” concerns such as innovation in ensuring sustainable growth.

The day closed with a festive ceremony of presentations of awards of special recognition to four of our funded experts for extraordinary performance. Our criteria for selection included were straightforward: EC priorities addressed; the impact of their work on the European landscape; the expert’s involvement in SDOs; contributions to standards; and blockchain sustainability. Based on these criteria, we selected the following experts for recognition:

• Paul Ferris, for his New Sustainability Strategy for TC307 Planning & Standards with Sustainability Focus, which supports the EC Priority of Sustainability within DLT with important contributions to sustainability-focused blockchain standards supporting ESG finance and aligning with EU climate goals;

• Christian Grafenauer, with his CEN-PWI Guidelines and Best Practices for Process and Personal Data using Blockchain and DLT, supporting the EC Priority DLT as a Trust Anchor Infrastructure with this important contribution to standards and WG development related to GDPR-compliant privacy practices in blockchain;

• Maria Luisa Llacuna, for her EUDI Conformant & EBSI compliant incentives framework to improve DGA’s Data Governance Provisions, which addresses the EC Priority of DLT as a Trust Anchor Infrastructure and thus provides an important contribution to standards and WG development related to GDPR-compliant privacy practices in blockchain;

• Julien Bringer, for his work in multi-stakeholders blockchain governance, supporting the EC Priority DLT as a Trust Anchor Infrastructure with several important contributions to standards and WG leadership advancing auditing, security, and identity frameworks for trusted and EU-compliant blockchain infrastructure.

SEEBLOCKS.eu congratulates these four experts for their demonstrated excellence, along with all of our funded experts and project partners for their role in promoting European leadership in blockchain/DLT standardisation in so many ways.