A pilot scheme funded by the EU to create a Europe-wide electronic network for ID cards has announced that it has made its first step towards delivering pilot projects in 2010.

Today Stork (Secure idenTity acrOss boRders linKed), which is the project's name, said that it had agreed on a common framework and specifications with which to develop its Euro-wide solution.

It has taken twelve months to produce the model, which will be officially unveiled on 18 November.

Miguel Alvarez Rodriguez, one of the two people leading Stork's development, said, “The main objective now is to test the model in real time with real people. Usability is critical to the success of the framework, so during the pilots we are expecting to refine and improve elements where necessary. Although it was a key factor in the conceptual design, scalability is also a challenge to be addressed in any future extensions of the project.”

Stork expects to create a common network for ID cards across Europe, meaning that businesses, citizens and government employees will be able to use their national electronic identities (eID) in any member state, which will make cross-border administration easier.

Five pilot projects will run for the next twelve months in order to demonstrate the system and its capabilities. These include developing cross-border mechanisms for the secure online delivery of documents, as well as safer chat protocols.