Zero Trust in Europe

In the EUDI  Zero Trust is not a formal eIDAS 2 term but a security philosophy that EU wallet and infrastructure designers are actively adopting.

1. Zero Trust Basics

• Default stance: Never trust, always verify.
• Every actor—wallets, issuers, verifiers, and even networks—is treated as potentially compromised.
• Continuous authentication, authorization, and integrity checks are applied at every step, not just at the perimeter.

2. Why It Matters for EUDI

• Decentralized credentials: Because EUDI wallets will hold verifiable credentials issued by many different entities across borders, you cannot assume any network segment or participant is safe.
• Dynamic verification: A verifier must cryptographically validate each credential against trusted lists (e.g., EU trust registries) instead of trusting the transport channel or the user’s device.
• AI-agent & automation risk: As automated agents start using EUDI wallets, Zero Trust prevents rogue agents or spoofed services from slipping through.
• Supply chain hardening: Wallet providers, QTSPs, and trust registries are themselves continuously verified—no “just because it’s a bank, it’s safe” shortcuts.

3. How It’s Applied

• Mutual authentication: Wallet ↔ service interactions use mutual TLS, signed challenges, and issuer/verifier attestations.
• Selective disclosure & proofs: Instead of handing over full documents, wallets use minimal disclosure proofs(e.g., show “over 18” without exposing birthdate).
• Revocation & freshness checks: Verifiers check real-time revocation lists or status endpoints, not cached trust assumptions.
• Segmentation & least privilege: Even within a wallet ecosystem, components (like presentation clients, signing modules, and storage) are isolated with least privilege.

4. The Big Picture

Zero Trust ensures legal certainty + technical security for EUDI. Without it, a single compromised node could undermine cross-border trust. The EU is effectively saying: Don’t trust the pipes or the players—trust the math, the signatures, and the registries.

Forward-looking takeaway: As AI-agents and automated workflows start transacting via EUDI wallets, Zero Trust + verifiable credentials becomes the backbone of safe, borderless digital interactions in the Single Market. 

Needless to say that banks must be at the table.