Giuseppe Antoci, an Italian MEP from The Left group, has asked the European Commission to clarify how it will prevent the upcoming European Digital Identity Wallet from being exploited by organised crime for money laundering and other illicit activities. In a written parliamentary question submitted on 23 June 2026, Antoci raised concerns that the digital wallet, designed to streamline cross-border administrative and business interactions, could become a target for criminal infiltration given its role in storing certified credentials and enabling qualified electronic signatures.
The European Digital Identity Wallet is being developed under the revised eIDAS Regulation (EU) 2024/1183) and is part of a broader Commission push to create an interoperable digital identity framework across the EU. The system is intended to allow legal persons and professionals to exchange official documents, store credentials, and use electronic signatures, in line with the 'once only' principle. Antoci's question links the initiative to the Beneficial Ownership Registers Interconnection System (BORIS), established under the Anti-Money Laundering Directive, and warns that without robust safeguards, the wallet could facilitate economic identity takeover.
In his three-part question, Antoci first asks what steps the Commission will take to shield the wallet from criminal infiltration, money laundering, and malpractice. Second, he inquires whether the wallet could be used as an official identification and certification tool in EU tender procedures and public funding schemes. Third, he urges the Commission to consider introducing EU-wide 'red flag' mechanisms to detect and combat fraudulent use of digital identities by organised crime.
Antoci is pressing for specific anti-fraud and anti-money laundering safeguards to be embedded in the wallet's design, and for a proactive alert system to flag suspicious activity. The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks; its answer will signal whether it shares Antoci's concerns and what additional measures it may propose.