A new pilot scheme to be funded by the European Union has been announced, that will aim to create European-wide electronic identification cards. a project (nicknamed Stork - Secure idenTity acrOss boRders linKed) that they hope to start before the end of next year.

Over a year in the making now, the official structure of the scheme will be unveiled next week on the 18th. Miguel Alvarez Rodriguez, one of the two people leading Stork's development, said the following to the press:

"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."

The organisation expects to make it even easier for businesses, citizens and government employees to cross borders - using electronic ID to make border administration simple, cheap and quick.

Five pilot projects have been authorised to run for twelve months, and they are designed to demonstrate the system and its capabilities - including the development of cross-border mechanisms for the secure online delivery of documents, and safer chat protocols.