Blockchain in general and EBSI in particular
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a distributed, cryptographically secure ledger system. In a blockchain, data are organised into sequential blocks, cryptographically linked. The use of blockchain ensures data immutability and transparency by distributing data across a network of independent participants.
One can think of it as a decentralised, immutable database for storing data.
What is EBSI?
The European blockchain secure infrastructure (EBSI) is a permissioned blockchain managed by a European consortium for secure and authentic data dissemination.
Out of the various blockchain ledgers on offer, EBSI has the advantage of a minimal environmental footprint as well as a governance model that is compatible with the needs of European official statistics producers, that is devoid of any major reputational issues. For this reason, it is used in the Eurostat pilot, and we recommend it to any other statistics producers for which EBSI onboarding is an option.
Comparison of public and private blockchain solutions
| Feature | Public blockchain | Private blockchain | EBSI (used by Eurostat) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access | Permissionless | Permissioned | Permissioned: EU entities |
| Control/Trust | Decentralised | Centralised | Semi-centralised: EU national authorities |
| Transparency | High | Variable | High |
| Environmental impact | Variable (often high) | Variable | Very low (proof of authority) |