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Updates to eDelivery

AS4

2.0

and SMP 2.0 profiles & new eDelivery BDXL 2.0 profile

profiles 

Update March 2023: added BDXL and ebCore Pary Id 2.0 specifications.

The eDelivery AS4 2.0 and SMP 2.0 draft specifications have been updated to reflect comments received during the 2023 public consultations on these specifications. In addition, the eDelivery team decided to offer a draft for the eDelivery BDXL 2.0 and ebCore Party Id 2.0 specifications. Look out for the upcoming consultation on all three eDelivery 2.0 profiles and find out about activities and support towards their adoption!

Response to the 2023 consultation

In June 2023, the eDelivery team called for a consultation on the AS4 and SMP 2.0 specifications. The initial draft specifications presented several key updates, including enhancements in security measures and support for newer technologies. Notably, the first draft of the AS4 profile 2.0 proposed the introduction of two profile enhancements, while the first draft of the SMP profile 2.0 included support for the latest OASIS SMP version 2.0, among other features. These updates signaled a backwards-incompatible evolution, where older versions of the profiles would not be interoperable with the newer ones.

The consultation aimed to gather feedback from stakeholders and experts to refine the specifications and ensure they meet the evolving needs of the digital ecosystems. Acknowledging the invaluable input received during the consultation process, the eDelivery team meticulously reviewed and addressed each comment and suggestion provided in response to the consultation. The disposition for public review comments is available online, showcasing the team's commitment to transparency and collaboration. The documents include the feedback from the eDelivery team on each comment individually:

We would like to thank all participants for their input towards the consultations on the initial AS4 and SMP 2.0 draft specifications.

Proposed changes in the second draft of the new eDelivery profiles

The eDelivery AS4 2.0 second draft received several enhancements. First, it further modernised encryption by adopting a newer key derivation function for the key agreement algorithm, ensuring robust data protection during transmission. The profile also integrated additional curves for ECDSA cryptography. Lastly, the update streamlined the profile by removing the SBDH enhancement, resulting in better clarity.

The SMP 2.0 second draft also underwent updates. In line with the OASIS SMP 2.0 standard, it now recommends the use of a schemeID also when working with ebCore Party Identifiers and accommodates both the “::” and “:” separators when querying for SMP documents that follow this recommendation, providing more flexibility.

Importantly, a new eDelivery BDXL 2.0 draft was introduced to propose using the value “Meta:SMP2” for publishing links to OASIS SMP 2.0 documents. In addition, a new ebCore Party Id 2.0 draft was introduced to add a reference to SMP 2.0.

By incorporating these suggestions received via the public consultation as well as the internal evolution, the eDelivery team aims to ensure that the eDelivery suite of profiles meets the evolving needs of stakeholders and facilitates seamless data exchange in the digital landscape.

Updated draft specifications

Now, that the eDelivery team has meticulously addressed the feedback received during the public consultation, we are excited to present the updated eDelivery AS4 2.0 and SMP 2.0 specifications as well as the BDXL 2.0 and ebCore Party Id 2.0 specifications. Click on the links to view the draft specifications on the eDelivery website, and expand the textbox to read what has changed since the 2023 working drafts for the AS4 2.0 and SMP 2.0versions and view changes compared to BDXL 1.7 and ebCore Pary Id 1.4 (the current version).

Updated eDelivery AS4 2.0 draft specification
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In the Common Profile, in the message encryption section:

  • HKDF is used as key derivation function instead of ConcatKDF. It is preferred from a cryptographic point of view. The specification for using HKDF in XML Security is part of the draft update RFC 9231bis. The output of HKDF is used to wrap a symmetric encryption key.  
  • In section 3.4.1,  the use of the type attribute on PartyId is recommended

In the profile enhancements section:

  • Removal of the optional SBDH profile enhancement. It has seen limited adoption by eDelivery users, the common profile already supports multiple payloads and the SBDH specification has been superseded by other standards. Users can still use SBDH or similar schemas in their payloads.  
  • Listed additional mandatory curves to support in the Alternative ECC Option section
  • In 4.1.2, the four corner topology profile, recommend the use of the type attribute for originalSender and finalRecipeint

Updated eDelivery SMP 2.0 draft specification

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  • Clarified the mapping table in section 3.2.
  • Updated the section on eDelivery ebCore Party Identifiers to recommend the use of the schemeID attribute of the ParticipantID element in SMP 2.0 documents.
  • Editorial.
eDelivery BDXL 2.0 draft specification 
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  • The service field is set to either Meta:SMP or Meta:SMP2 depending on the version of the OASIS SMP standard.
  • Updated section 4.1 to mention separate ebCore Party Id Type and identifier value must be concatenated into an ebCore Party Identifier for use with BDXL.
eDelivery ebCore Party Id 2.0 draft specification
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  • Added a reference to SMP 2.0.

  • Removed support for the party identifier notation defined in section 2.7 of [EBCOREP]. 

Adoption in 2024

To foster inclusivity and address any potential concerns on the draft of the latest profiles, we will invite you to participate in a public consultation on these updates soon - look out for the news! The final publication of the version 2.0 of the eDelivery profiles will conclude the Specification Change Process and is expected soon after the second consultation. 

We recommend that EC colleagues operating or preparing eDelivery-based ecosystems as well as eDelivery solution providers plan their adoption of the new specifications starting from now. Read about how eDelivery will support the adoption of these updated profiles. Exciting events, inclusive meetings and an interoperability event are on the horizon as we take a step into the future with eDelivery in 2024.

Stay tuned for the latest updates on eDelivery services by checking the Building Block's X 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.  

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Read about the updates to the eDelivery AS4 2.0 and SMP 2.0 profiles and why we are updating the eDelivery BDXL profileand ebCore Party Id profiles.