Finland and Bulgaria put EU wallet supervisors in place, three months before the deadline
Both countries have now named who will police digital identity wallets. Only one of them looks ready to issue one by January.
Every EU member state must offer citizens a European Digital Identity Wallet by 1 January 2027 under the revised eIDAS regulation. With three months left, Finland and Bulgaria have both put the legal machinery in place, but they are not equally close to launch.
Finland: a public wallet, with room for private ones
Finland's law clearing the way for wallets is now in force. According to the Ministry of Finance, a wallet will be offered "at least" by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, the body that runs the population register. Traficom, the transport and communications agency, will supervise wallet providers and trust services and keep a register of the services that accept wallets.
Private companies will also be allowed to offer wallets, as long as they meet the requirements set for providers. Alongside the wallet Finland will issue its first digital identity document, a certificate available to anyone holding a valid passport or identity card.
"Digital wallets will make using services in the EU even easier," said Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, the minister of local and regional government. "Wallets will also be more secure, as they will give people better control of their personal information." Both the wallet and the digital identity are expected in 2027.
Bulgaria: the rules, but probably not the date
In Sofia the Council of Ministers has approved the steps needed to develop and provide a wallet, and named the Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation as the supervisory authority for wallet providers, according to the Bulgarian News Agency. Biometric Update reported earlier this year that Bulgaria is [still unlikely to meet the January deadline]({BU}/202602/bulgaria-publishes-draft-digital-id-law-but-likely-to-fail-on-eudi-wallet-deadline).
The two countries illustrate the uneven picture across the union. Germany has [announced its d-you wallet](/article/germany-d-you-wallet/) for 2 January 2027; others are still writing the rules. Naming a supervisor is the legal minimum. What matters to citizens is whether a wallet exists, and whether banks, pharmacies and public services will accept it.
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