The eDelivery Value Proposition Webinar
Have you ever wondered how modern technology can transform the way businesses and public administrations exchange data and documents? With over 100 participants in attendance, the recent eDelivery webinar held on 28 September took us on a captivating journey into the world of eDelivery. From its history dating back to 2014 to its robust, mature solutions today, eDelivery offers a versatile approach to data exchange, enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and ensuring security. You do not have to believe us: listen to the people sharing their experience of using eDelivery!
The Evolution of eDelivery: From Pilots to a Refined Offer
eDelivery has come a long way since its inception in 2014. What began as various pilot projects has now evolved into a sophisticated solution and service infrastructure, that facilitates seamless data exchange. During the webinar, participants were guided through this remarkable journey, gaining insights into the history and growth of eDelivery.
Explained in lay terms: How eDelivery Works
Have you ever tried to explain a complex concept using a simple analogy? The policy officer did just that by likening eDelivery to an airport. Just as an airport efficiently handles the diverse flow of travellers and their luggage, eDelivery manages the exchange of messages among organizations.
One fascinating revelation was that eDelivery does not provide the network itself. This might come as a surprise to many, but it's a fundamental aspect of how eDelivery operates. Instead of building a network from scratch, eDelivery focuses on providing the technical specifications and framework necessary for organisations to exchange data and documents securely.
If you're curious to dive deeper into these aspects, we highly recommend reviewing the slides and the video from the webinar for a more comprehensive understanding.
For some projects, eDelivery emerged as a beacon of cost-efficiency. Others highlighted eDelivery's capacity to provide not just a digital solution but a secure, reliable, and accountable infrastructure right from the start, instilling confidence in their data exchange processes. Other speakers celebrated eDelivery's scalability, sharing how it adapted to their expanding needs, and how the option to reuse the solution for subsequent projects significantly saved time and resources.
We're excited to announce that a series of in-depth blog posts will soon appear on the eDelivery blog. These articles will dive deeper into the advantages that these projects have experienced with eDelivery, providing a more detailed look at how this solution has positively impacted their operations. Stay tuned for a closer exploration of these remarkable success stories to appear on the eDelivery blog.
More information
For a full overview of eDelivery advantages and benefits watch the video or have a look at the webinar slides. There you can also find more detailed information on the eDelivery service offering as well as further information.
To get the latest updates on the eDelivery services, check the building block's twitter and web page and do not hesitate to register for personalised news. You can also contact us via our portal or by e-mail: EC-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu.
The eDelivery Building Block
eDelivery is a building block that provides technical specifications and standards, installable software and ancillary services to allow projects to create a network of nodes for secure digital data exchange.
Call for expression of interest to participate in the eInvoicing Technical Advisory Group of the European Commission
The European Commission is renewing the eInvoicing Technical Advisory Group after its first full year of activity under the DIGITAL Europe Programme.
What is the eInvoicing Technical Advisory Group?
The scope of the group is to provide technical advice to the European Commission on change requests to code lists and validation artefacts as well as on other technical issues relating to the implementation of the eInvoicing standard and related processes. The main objective of the group is to maintain a communication channel between the European Commission and stakeholders and experts who are involved in electronic invoicing so that decisions made by the European Commission can take into consideration relevant perspectives and opinions. The members are called on to participate in online group meetings as described in the Mandate.
What does it mean to become a member?
Membership is voluntary, by invitation for the duration of one year, renewable. The selection of participants is by decision of the European Commission following this open call for expression of interest to participate. The European Commission will invite up to 25 members to the Technical Advisory Group with the aim of establishing a group that represents wide interests and expertise.
Associations and individual experts are herewith invited to express their interest in participating in the Technical Advisory Group. The expression of interest shall include a description of the association’s or the individual's role and/or expertise in eInvoicing and how that could benefit the work of the group.
How can I express my interest?
- Read the Mandate.
- Describe your role/expertise and your expected contribution.
- Send it all by email to the DIGITAL eInvoicing Support team before Monday 30 October 2023 end of business via EC-EINVOICING-SUPPORT@EC.EUROPA.EU
Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash
Time's Running Out: Act Now on eDelivery AS4 and SMP Profiles 2.0 Consultations
The eDelivery team is currently running two Public Consultations on the new draft specifications of the eDelivery AS4 profile 2.0 and eDelivery SMP profile 2.0. The changes to the specifications are scheduled to be published by the end of the year.
All eDelivery projects will be affected by the upcoming changes to the eDelivery AS4 specifications and those using dynamic discovery also by the changes to the eDelivery SMP ones. Make sure to validate the proposed changes now before it's too late! Please send us your feedback by 20 October 2023.
The eDelivery community are invited to share their views by to either posting feedback as comments on the public consultation pages linked underneath, or sending an email to EC-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu by the 20th October 2023. Changes or suggestions received after this date might no longer be taken into account in the final version.
- For the AS4 2.0 Draft Specification please post your comments here or send them to EC-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu with [eDelivery AS4 profile version 2.0] in the title of the email.
- For the SMP 2.0 Draft Specification please post your comments here or send them to EC-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu with [eDelivery SMP profile version 2.0] in the title of the email.
Draft Specification of the eDelivery AS4
The version of the new Draft Specification of the eDelivery AS4 profile 2.0 has updates for the security section, where more state-of-the art protocols and algorithms are introduced, and two new Profile Enhancements are proposed, one introducing ebCore Agreement Update and one supporting alternative curves and algorithms for encryption and digital signing. The changes are detailed on both the Public Consultation and new Draft Specification pages. This new Draft Specification marks a backwards-incompatible evolution of the profile, where Access Points operating with profile version 2.0 cannot exchange messages with Access Points operating with profile version 1.x.
Draft Specification of the eDelivery SMP profiles 2.0
The new Draft Specification of the eDelivery SMP profile 2.0 is equally backwards-incompatible, where SMP data compatible with profile version 2.0 cannot be consumed by legacy clients. It supports OASIS SMP version 2.0, allows publishing multiple certificates (signing, encryption and key exchange) for a transport and supports both eDelivery AS4 profiles 1.x and 2.0. One can read more about the proposed changes on both the Public Consultation and new Draft Specification pages.
The two proposed Draft Specifications were designed to work together.
Stay tuned for the latest updates on the eDelivery services by checking the building block's twitter and web page. For more information, do not hesitate to register for personalised news or contact us via our portal or by e-mail: EC-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu.
The eDelivery Building Block
eDelivery is a building block that provides technical specifications and standards, installable software and ancillary services to allow projects to create a network of nodes for secure digital data exchange.
Expand your knowledge about eDelivery in other events this autumn
The eDelivery Building Block is gearing up to participate in several upcoming events organised this fall.
Following the entry into force of Regulation 2022/850, the e-CODEX project that mediates the use of eDelivery in the area of e-Justice was transferred from the responsibility of a consortium of Member States to the eu-LISA agency. In October, the eDelivery team will be assisting the handover/takeover process by providing information, resources and clarifications to the new team at eu-LISA about the use of eDelivery and Domibus.
Moreover, the eDelivery team is going to join the 3rd joint physical workshop on Data Exchange and Cybersecurity in the Energy Sector on 17-18 October, organised by ENTSOG, EASSEE-Gas and GIE. The eDelivery presentation will cover the rationale behind the planned updates of the eDelivery AS4 profile and more. The presentation will be part of the "Technical section on the AS4 profile". (Hurry up to share with us your comments in the ongoing public consultation! The deadline – 10 November – is fast approaching!)
The interactive sessions on the latest updates, opportunities and challenges related to data exchange and cybersecurity in the energy sector will feature high-level experts coming from the European Commission, gas, electricity sectors and more. Besides the key topics to be discussed, such as how to enable safe data exchange, data exchange and communication protocols and so forth, participants can also get a hands-on experience on the gamification exercise of how to handle a cybersecurity attack.
On 18 October, the eDelivery team together with representatives of other Digital Building Blocks is looking forward to welcoming you at SEMIC 2023 in Madrid. The annual semantic interoperability conference of the European Commission this year gathers around the central theme ('Interoperable Europe in the age of AI') and will set the stage for exploring the latest advancements in the interactions between artificial intelligence, interoperability and semantics.
As last year, meet the eDelivery team at the Digital Building Blocks stand and learn more about the latest initiatives and developments in the field.
Furthermore, the SEMIC conference is an excellent opportunity for networking and meeting experts from Europe and beyond. Sounds exciting? Spots are limited, so book yours quickly!
For Member States hard at work getting ready for the go-live, the Once-Only Technical System (OOTS) is having their 3rd Projectathon on 18-20 October.
Previous Projectathons were an opportunity for all parties to learn, make mistakes, help each other and assess the status of their respective Once-Only developments. The upcoming October event builds on this, adding a focus on assessing production readiness of the Once-Only Technical System components (eDelivery included).
eDelivery's support team will be on site, ready to give a helping hand to the Member States representatives. If you're one of the participants, do not hesitate to contact our team for any questions or concerns and use your last opportunity this year to have problems solved on the spot.
Learn more about the 3rd OOTS Projectathon here.
Last but not least, eDelivery is actively participating in the DSSC activities. As part of the DSSC Technology Thematic Group, the eDelivery team has contributed to the public consultation on the DSSC Blueprint v0.5. We were happy to share our feedback, highlighting the value of eDelivery for data spaces.
The consultation closed on the 10th of September 2023 and can be found here.
Stay tuned for the latest updates on eDelivery services by checking the building block's Twitter and web page. For more information, do not hesitate to register for personalised news or contact us via our portal or by e-mail: EC-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu.
The eDelivery Building Block
eDelivery is a building block that provides technical specifications and standards, installable software and ancillary services to allow projects to create a network of nodes for secure digital data exchange.
Domibus is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery AS4 Access Point for the interoperable, secure and reliable exchange of data. It is based on the eDelivery AS4 profile, an open technical specification for the secure, web-based, payload-agnostic exchange of data or documents.
DomiSMP is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery Service Metadata Publisher for publishing and retrieving data necessary for an eDelivery party to dynamically configure its system for message exchange with counterparties using eDelivery. It is based on the eDelivery SMP profile, an open technical specification for publishing service metadata within a 4-corner network.
DomiSML is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery Service Metadata Locator for an eDelivery party to discover the URLs of other counterparties using eDelivery Access Points and their corresponding metadata. It is based on the eDelivery BDXL profile, an open technical specification for locating Access Points within a network, and on the PEPPOL SML Specification, a technical specification defining a BDXL administration API.
Photo by Halil Ibrahim Cetinkaya on Unsplash
Distributing registered mail with eDelivery: a success story from Croatia
eDelivery’s implementation continues to develop rapidly across Europe, with another success story coming from Croatia!
Following the footsteps of implementers in Portugal among many others, we are excited to announce that in December 2022, Croatian Post completed the eDelivery project “Improving Electronic Delivery of Court Documents in Croatia”. Carried out as a collaboration between Croatian Post, the Croatian Ministry of Justice & Public Administration, and Sedam IT, the project is part of the implementation and execution of the development strategy “Post 2022”, which included extensive digitalisation of business processes in the Croatian Post.
« In the past six years we implemented and executed development strategy "Post 2022" which included extensive digitalization of business processes.<...> we decided to develop a new business model to support public administration digitalization <...> and to increase our competence in digital mail delivery. Our goal was to develop a solution based on EU legal framework (eIDAS (EU) 910/2014 Regulation) which supports the needs of the public administration <...> All the documentation available on the eDelivery documentation centre were key for technical implementation of the project. »
Croatian Post
The video is in Croatian language with English subtitles!
This success story showcases eDelivery’s role in enhancing EU-wide interoperability. "The innovation introduced by our project is almost unmatched across the EU,” said Croatian Post CEO Ivan Čulo in a recent interview.
«This puts us at the forefront of EU countries currently certified with this type of service. We are confident our achievement has created a new legal precedent. The speed and simplicity ensured by the network guarantee a better experience for the end user.»
The project used eDelivery solutions to create technical and procedural conditions for the digital delivery of registered mail under the eIDAS Regulation, as attested by the compliance certificate. Sedam IT has been a critical driving force in the project, in charge of software development and design – the project’s key software components. That enabled the link between the Post’s and Ministry’s IT system, through which electronic documents were transferred in full compliance with the eDelivery standards. The project’s (eDelivery: Improving Electronic Delivery of Court Documents in Croatia") value totaled 310.000 EUR, 75 % of which was funded by innovation action grants from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
The eDelivery project is only the starting point for further digitalisation and digital investments in the Croatian Judiciary System, which will enable the safe and rapid digital delivery of legal documents across the country. By obtaining eIDAS compliant certificate Croatian Post became the only trust service provider (TSP) of qualified electronic registered delivery service in the Republic of Croatia and one of the EU providers. With qualified electronic registered delivery service, Croatian Post is one of the key actors in digital mail delivery and important stakeholder in public administration digitalization.
As Croatian post is the largets postal services operator in Republic of Croatia and almost all the court items are delivered by it, since it has an obligation of delivering universal postal items to all citizens across the state. The improvement of the process of delivering court items has been ongoing process within Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Croatian Post, and current “digital receipt” project ensures a proof of delivery (of a court item) is digitally sent back to courts just a few seconds after the item is delivered. This is an intermediate phase in a long journey to a complete eDelivery end-to-end digital delivery of all court items. Of course, delivery of physical court items will still remain for the users that do not have conditions for electronic delivery.
The video is in Croatian language without subtitles!
As of the improvements, the government is currently in a process of making a single national law for delivering court items that will make legal framework for all court items to be sent electronically by applying eIDAS regulation.
Anyone curious can already introduce themselves with qualified electronic registered delivery service that Croatian post is offering in its service portfolio (called ePreporuka) on the website, where a short explanatory video and the description of the service and its benefits are published.
Given the recent successes in using eDelivery across Europe, it will be only a matter of time before other implementers follow suit. Although no information about funding for similar pilot projects is currently available under the Digital Europe Programme, the team is eager to open the floor to exchange the ideas on the creation of future initiatives across the EU. The upcoming meetings of the eDelivery Informal Cooperation Network taking place on 9 November, and the eDelivery Interoperability Forum - on 28 November are there to connect interested stakeholders.
Do you have an eDelivery success stories you’d like to share with the team? Let us know by writing an email at EC-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu.
Stay tuned for the latest updates on eDelivery services by checking the building block’s Twitter and web page. For more information, do not hesitate to register for personalised news or contact us via our portal or by email: EC-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu.
How can you use the eDelivery building block in your own project?
eDelivery is a building block that provides technical specifications and standards, installable software and ancillary services to allow projects to create a network of nodes for secure digital data exchange.
Domibus is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery AS4 Access Point for the interoperable, secure and reliable exchange of data. It is based on the eDelivery AS4 profile, an open technical specification for the secure, web-based, payload-agnostic exchange of data or documents.
DomiSMP is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery Service Metadata Publisher (SMP) for publishing and retrieving data necessary for an eDelivery party to dynamically configure its system for message exchange with counterparties using eDelivery. It is based on the eDelivery SMP profile, an open technical specification for publishing service metadata within a 4-corner network.
DomiSML is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery Service Metadata Locator (SML) for an eDelivery party to discover the URLs of other counterparties using eDelivery Access Points and their corresponding metadata. It is based on the eDelivery BDXL profile, an open technical specification for locating Access Points within a network.
The images and videos used in this article are from Croatian Post
DomiSML 4.3 RC released
Those eDelivery users who rely on the Commission’s eDelivery sample software DomiSML should take note of a minor release that has been published on 7th September 2023: The release candidate (RC) for DomiSML 4.3. The DomiSML 4.3 RC is planned to be deployed to the eDelivery acceptance environment on Wednesday, 13 September, to enable testing for external users. The final release (FR) is set to follow one month later, on 13 October.
More information on features as well as the download are available on the eDelivery website.
Stay tuned for the latest updates on eDelivery services by checking the building block's Twitter and web page. For more information, do not hesitate to register for personalised news or contact us via our portal or by e-mail: EC-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu.
The eDelivery Building Block
eDelivery is a building block that provides technical specifications and standards, installable software and ancillary services to allow projects to create a network of nodes for secure digital data exchange.
Domibus is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery AS4 Access Point for the interoperable, secure and reliable data exchange. It is based on the eDelivery AS4 profile, an open technical specification for the secure, web-based, payload-agnostic exchange of data or documents.
DomiSMP is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery Service Metadata Publisher for publishing and retrieving data necessary for an eDelivery party to dynamically configure its system for message exchange with counterparties using eDelivery. It is based on the eDelivery SMP profile, an open technical specification for publishing service metadata within a 4-corner network.
DomiSML is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery Service Metadata Locator for an eDelivery party to discover the URLs of other counterparties using eDelivery Access Points and their corresponding metadata. It is based on the eDelivery BDXL profile, an open technical specification for locating Access Points within a network, and on the PEPPOL SML Specification, a technical specification defining a BDXL administration API.
The old web service plugin endpoint will be removed in Domibus 6.0 - take action!
For those eDelivery users who rely on the Commission’s eDelivery Access Point sample software Domibus, it is important to take note of the removal of the old endpoint (/backend) of the web service (WS) plugin with the release of Domibus 6.0.
The old endpoint (/backend) for the WS plugin will be removed as of Domibus 6.0 which means that all projects using this endpoint (and associated WSDL) will have to change their backends to use the new one (/wsplugin) before they can upgrade to Domibus 6.0. Therefore, it is crucial to plan accordingly in the run-up to the release of Domibus 6.0 which is tentatively planned for the beginning of 2025.
The new endpoint (/wsplugin) of the WS plugin was introduced in Domibus 5.0 in June 2022. In Domibus 5.0.x, 5.1.x and 5.2.x both endpoints are available to use, to give users enough time to adapt their backends.
For more detail, please refer to the Interface Control Document relating to the WS plugin, chapter 8: Backwards Compatibility. This document includes a step-by-step guide to migrate from the old WS plugin endpoint/WSDL to the new one. In addition, this video can help users of Domibus learn which plugins were introduced with Domibus 5.0.
For any questions regarding this change please contact the eDelivery support team: EC-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu.
Stay tuned for the latest updates on eDelivery services by checking the building block's Twitter and web page. For more information, do not hesitate to register for personalised news or contact us via our portal or by e-mail: EC-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu.
The eDelivery Building Block
eDelivery is a building block that provides technical specifications and standards, installable software and ancillary services to allow projects to create a network of nodes for secure digital data exchange.
Domibus is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery AS4 Access Point for the interoperable, secure and reliable data exchange. It is based on the eDelivery AS4 profile, an open technical specification for the secure, web-based, payload-agnostic exchange of data or documents.
DomiSMP is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery Service Metadata Publisher for publishing and retrieving data necessary for an eDelivery party to dynamically configure its system for message exchange with counterparties using eDelivery. It is based on the eDelivery SMP profile, an open technical specification for publishing service metadata within a 4-corner network.
DomiSML is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery Service Metadata Locator for an eDelivery party to discover the URLs of other counterparties using eDelivery Access Points and their corresponding metadata. It is based on the eDelivery BDXL profile, an open technical specification for locating Access Points within a network, and on the PEPPOL SML Specification, a technical specification defining a BDXL administration API.
Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
Upcoming Enhancements in eDelivery Monitoring
We are pleased to announce forthcoming enhancements to our monitoring system, designed to offer stakeholders a more comprehensive view of eDelivery's operational landscape.
Anticipated Features
In the near future, the eDelivery website will house an array of data sets, providing you with deeper insights into our program's functionalities. Here is an overview of what you can expect:
- Project Overview: Stay updated with the projects using eDelivery, encompassing project status and brief descriptions.
- eDelivery Access Points: The number of Access Points installed that enable eDelivery message sending and receiving.
- Connected organisations: Overview of the number of entities that are connected to exchange messages through eDelivery from the public and private sector.
- Exchanged Messages: Track the volume of messages exchanged.
- Support Requests: Gain insights into the level of support required, comprising of requests handled by the eDelivery support team.
Furthermore, the expanded monitoring data will encompass:
- Events and Attendees: Get a picture of eDelivery events organised and participant attendance.
- Newsletter Subscribers: See the growing community of eDelivery Newsletter readers.
- Updated Map: Explore an updated map displaying the spread of eDelivery across Europe.
Realising the Benefits
These changes are designed to facilitate informed decisions concerning eDelivery adoption. They also shed light on the widespread usage of eDelivery across the European landscape.
Stay tuned for these updates on the eDelivery website. Our journey towards greater user experience and insight begins soon.
Keep up to date with the latest updates on eDelivery services by checking the building block's Twitter and web page. For more information, do not hesitate to register for personalised news or contact us via our portal or by e-mail: EC-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu.
The eDelivery Building Block
eDelivery is a building block that provides technical specifications and standards, installable software and ancillary services to allow projects to create a network of nodes for secure digital data exchange.
Support timeline for eDelivery Sample Software
For those eDelivery users who rely on the Commission’s eDelivery sample software – Domibus, DomiSML and DomiSMP – it is important to take note of the update support timeline:
The current version of Domibus, 5.1 will be supported until 30 September 2024. For those who haven’t upgraded yet, Domibus versions 5.0.x are supported until 7.6.2024. With Domibus 5.2 to be released with RC end of November 2023 and FR in February 2024, this should give users sufficient time to upgrade.
Support for DomiSMP version 5.0 will be provided until mid-2024, while support for the previous version DomiSMP 4.2 will phase out soon on 31.10.2023. Therefore, users are encouraged to upgrade.
DomiSML versions 4.2 and 4.2.1 will only be supported until 14 October 2023, therefore users are encouraged to upgrade to version DomiSML 4.3. The release candidate of this new version has just been published and the final release is planned for 13 October.
The support timeline delineated here is subject to change.
For those interested in more detail, there is an overview of planned features including the support timeline for releases on the eDelivery website: check out the pages for Domibus, DomiSML and DomiSMP.
Stay tuned for the latest updates on eDelivery services by checking the building block's Twitter and web page. For more information, do not hesitate to register for personalised news or contact us via our portal or by e-mail: EC-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu.
The eDelivery Building Block
eDelivery is a building block that provides technical specifications and standards, installable software and ancillary services to allow projects to create a network of nodes for secure digital data exchange.
Domibus is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery AS4 Access Point for the interoperable, secure and reliable data exchange. It is based on the eDelivery AS4 profile, an open technical specification for the secure, web-based, payload-agnostic exchange of data or documents.
DomiSMP is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery Service Metadata Publisher for publishing and retrieving data necessary for an eDelivery party to dynamically configure its system for message exchange with counterparties using eDelivery. It is based on the eDelivery SMP profile, an open technical specification for publishing service metadata within a 4-corner network.
DomiSML is the sample software provided by the European Commission to implement an eDelivery Service Metadata Locator for an eDelivery party to discover the URLs of other counterparties using eDelivery Access Points and their corresponding metadata. It is based on the eDelivery BDXL profile, an open technical specification for locating Access Points within a network, and on the PEPPOL SML Specification, a technical specification defining a BDXL administration API.
Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash