eIDAS connector

e-SENS partners from the Netherlands have created a standalone adapter in the e-ID area to bridge the gap between e-IDAS based German middelware and the Dutch PEPS based on STORK 2.0, in the e-Agrucilture pilot. With this being a success the Dutch team is currently working with partners from Iceland on building a bridge between the eIDAS node and the STORK 2.0 PEPS.
The results of their work will enable countries with STORK 2.0 infrastructure currently linked to eID services to connect to the eIDAS network. The connector consists of a regular eIDAS node and a plugin that is able to convert in both ways the authentication requests and responses from eIDAS format to STORK 2.0 format. The plugin will also handle mappings of attributes between STORK 2.0 SAML and the eIDAS node SAML. This solution will provide a smooth migration path from STORK to eIDAS and sustainability of STORK services.

In such implementation scenario the eIDAS node is used as an eIDAS connector and therefore it is not connected with Member State specific services like Attribute Providers or Identity Providers. With such design it looks and feels as the country with a STORK 2.0 architecture has implemented eIDAS node while the service provides can continue using their STORK 2.0 solutions and do not need to migrate and invest further. This allows to prolong the life span of the STORK 2.0 infrastructure present in many Member States and at the same time provides possibilities to sustain the STORK2.0 services. Moreover, this scenario offers a smooth migration path from STORK to eIDAS whereby STORK services can continue to run.

The development process of the eIDAS connector is well under way and it's release is expected in October 2016.

Background information:

One of the main results of the STORK1.0 project was a network of proxy services (PEPS/VIDP) for cross border authentication as well as for fetching certified attributes for the authenticated citizens. With the end of STORK1.0 project the proxy services evolved further into two different branches:
a) DG DIGIT took the Proxy services from STORK1.0 and enhanced them to meet the eIDAS requirements. Based on the STORK1.0 code DIGIT developed the eIDAS node which is currently the basis of the new eIDAS network. 
b) The STORK2.0 project picked up the work of STORK1.0 with further piloting of the cross border services extending the applicability of the common e-ID infrastructure. The e-ID infrastructure was enriched with functionalities required to run heterogeneous e-ID applications such as file transfer layer, digital signatures, sector specific attributes, support for mandates and authentication on behalf of legal persons.

As a consequence of the new Regulation on electronic identification and trust services – eIDAS, (EU) No. 910/2014, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council all Member States will implement the eIDAS node. However the STORK2.0 infrastructure is still in use by a considerable number of countries - currently over 20 proxy services are still online. It is expected that the STORK2.0 infrastructure will be in use for considerable time due to the investments in that technology. Long-term sustainability is needed to resolve the issue of incompatibility between the eIDAS node and the STORK2.0 PEPS. 

07.07.2016

Work in e-Invoicing pilot completed

The aim of the e-SENS e-Invoicing pilot was to further enable the cross-border handling of invoices electronically over the e-SENS eDelivery infrastructure. Communication between national invoice handling systems in the post-award procurement phase has been successfully tested using the e-SENS profile of the AS4 protocol, meeting the requirements of cross-border communication between e-Government applications and Service Providers.

The e-Invoicing pilot scenario included interoperability tests between different types of access points based on solutions from different vendors, including  the exchange of large volume of documents and large files between competent authorities and businesses. The pilot aimed to check if the AS4 transport protocol of e-SENS would be a benefit for the e-Invoicing community. Technically the tests were successful but more conditions need to be met before the AS2 protocol, currently dominant in European e-Procurement and also used by OpenPEPPOL community, may be replaced.

Within the e-SENS pilot testing of the AS4 protocol, the service providers taking part in the pilot were expected to set up access points using AS4. The AS4 tests based on implementations from software providers Chasquis (Holodeck B2B), IBM and Flame included transfers of both large files up to 2Gb and bulk-load of files with more than 1000+ messages sent simulant to prove the e-Delivery with AS4 can be used efficiently. The existing infrastructure of OpenPEPPOL, which allows for multiple transport protocols, and the PEPPOL BIS profiles for eInvoicing were used in the pilot.

The pilot was successfully completed by Norway, Denmark, Greece, Slovenia and Austria. A Service Provider from the Czech Republic, not formally a participant in e-SENS but a member of OpenPEPPOL, also took part in successful testing with the other countries. Further work is now taking place to wrap up the pilot and provide detail reports and a roadmap for existing access points as well as to evaluate the pilot and document findings.

The first version of pilot report is available online here.

07.07.2016

Digital Single Market and e-SENS

From the very beginning, the first thoughts about European integration were directed at single market based upon four basic freedoms: free movement of persons, goods, capital and services. Over the last 20 years, there was success in creating single market in many areas thanks to gradual removing of technical and legal barriers. The possibility to work or study abroad or do business across borders has become as natural for younger generation as is e.g. ordering goods from a foreign e-shop. The ERASMUS programme enables almost 250 000 students a year to study or get an internship abroad, there are estimates of approx. 13 million Europeans working in another member state and for 21 million small and medium enterprises a significant part of their business is made internationally with companies from other EU member states.

28.10.2015
PDF icon Digital_Single_Market_and_eSENS_project.pdf

The e-SENS test bed ‘Minder’ to guarantee conformance and interoperability

The delivery of cross-border digital public services in various sectors by using the generic and re-usable building blocks creates strong demands on interoperability in the e-SENS project. To ensure the conformance to the technical specifications of e-SENS and interoperability among different systems, the extensible and highly available open source testing infrastructure called “Minder” has been developed by e-SENS.

 

14.09.2015
PDF icon e-SENS_Minder_Testbed_article.pdf

e−Justice: the development of tools for secure transmis sion of documents by electronic means

The e−SENS consortium working on e−Justice domain, with active contribution of the European Chamber of Bailiffs, the French National Chamber of Bailiffs, the representatives of the Ministries from France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, is currently dealing with the development of tools for the secure transmission of documents by electronic means, under the UE Regulation 655/2014 creating a European Account Preservation Order and the EU Regulation 2201/2003 concerning jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial matters and the matters of parental responsibility.

31.07.2015
PDF icon eJustice__the_development_of_tools_for_secure_transmission_of_documents_by_electronic_means.pdf

OpenPEPPOL Achievements in 2014

During 2014, the OpenPEPPOL Association has successfully expanded its reach, with a growing number of members, service providers and transactions:
- 128 Members
- 86 PEPPOL Access Points established in 17 countries.
- 4 PEPPOL Authorities in: Norway (Difi), Sweden (ESV), Denmark (DIGST), Netherlands (Simplerinvoicing).
- With over 1.000.000 eInvoicing transactions per month, OpenPEPPOL have reached the 2014 CEF Work Programme targets for eDeliveryand eInvoicing.

07.07.2015
PDF icon OpenPEPPOL_Achievements_in_2014.pdf

e-Health evidence emitter

At the end of April 2015, the e-SENS project tested the first integration of the e-SENS Building Block (BB) ‘Evidence Emitter’, a mechanism for achieving non-repudiation in cross-border communication though evidence generation and collection. The solution was presented during the 15th European IHE Connectathon event, an annual connectivity test marathon organised this year in Luxembourg by IHE-Europe in partnership with the Luxembourgish national e-Health agency, Agence eSanté. During one week, 300 participants, representing 74 vendors, performed 2300 tests on the Gazelle GITB compliant tool. The e-Health domain of e-SENS took advantage of this event to demonstrate the efficacy of the ‘Evidence Emitter’ BB by testing the integration into the OpenNCP software, which enables secure exchange of data between the National Contact Points (NCP) for cross-border healthcare.

21.05.2015
PDF icon e-Health_evidence_emitter_article.pdf

e-SENS European Interoperability Reference Architecture on its way

e-SENS WP6 – Building Block provision – aims to provide a coherent interoperability architecture with consolidated reusable building blocks for the implementation of digital services in Europe. Previous and ongoing LSPs have been delivering methodologies, specifications and implementations that form the architectural baseline for the e-SENS project. Following a comprehensive stocktaking phase, the project is proceeding with the development of the e-SENS European Interoperability Reference Architecture (EIRA).

12.01.2015
PDF icon e-SENS_European_Interoperability_Reference_Architecture_on_its_way.pdf

e-SENS building blocks assessed by MSP

On 2 October 2014, the European Multi Stakeholder Platform on ICT Standardisation (MSP) agreed on the establishment of Evaluation Working Groups to assess three standards proposed by e-SENS: ebMS3/AS4, ebCore Party ID and BDX Location. The three standards being assessed are part of the e-Delivery building block. Following evaluation for maturity and sustainability they were identified as fairly mature and ready for public consultation, and were thus submitted to MSP.

09.01.2015
PDF icon e-SENS_building_blocks_assessed_by_MSP.pdf

ICT Baseline Architecture of e-SENS

In the last six months the focus in the various areas of Building Block provision has been to finalize Deliverable 6.1, and especially to move towards completing stocktaking of relevant ICT Building Blocks from Large Scale Projects, EC projects and Member State projects. This process was crucial for the development of Deliverable 6.1, which aims to establish an architectural vision and thereby create a foundation for the architectural work under WP6.

04.04.2014
PDF icon ICT_Baseline_Architecture_of_e-SENS.pdf

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