On 18 July 2018 the European Parliament Committee on Internal Trade (“CIT“) published a draft report setting out a motion for a European Parliament Resolution regarding how blockchain could be harnessed to enhance international trade and supply chain management. The report focuses on the use of permissioned (private) blockchain solutions.
Blockchain Benefits
The CIT believes that blockchain provides enormous opportunities for reducing barriers within global trade. In particular, the potential benefits of permissioned blockchain solutions include:
- reducing the need for physical paperwork and therefore reducing the costs of supply chain management;
- enabling small and medium-sized enterprises to interact more efficiently with customs authorities and third parties along their supply chain;
- helping reduce the administrative burden placed upon suppliers from third countries seeking preferential treatment (i.e., reduced customs duties) when importing their goods into the EU under the terms of an EU Free Trade Agreement; and
- increasing transparency in relation to the provenance of goods entering the EU.
Blockchain Challenges
The CIT notes the following challenges facing blockchain: potential compatibility issues with GDPR requirements (while acknowledging potential blockchain solutions for GDPR implementation); poor interoperability between blockchain and existing systems; and uncertainty in relation to the scalability of blockchain.
Recommendations for the European Commission
The CIT recommends that the European Commission takes certain action to encourage blockchain adoption. These include:
- address regulatory hurdles to blockchain implementation;
- follow blockchain developments, in particular ongoing supply chain pilot projects;
- produce a strategy document regarding the adoption of blockchain to improve supply chain management;
- develop guidelines for industry to increase certainty to encourage the use of blockchain;
- work with Member States to improve information exchange in supply chains;
- set up a blockchain advisory group and develop a “concept note” for permissioned pilot projects on blockchain in the supply chain;
- assess blockchain architecture that keeps private data off chain;
- develop a framework for addressing interoperability challenges;
- work with industry to develop blockchain standards; and
- provide input on current international standards projects.
Kevin Monaghan, Sue McLean, London
Tags: #blockchain #europe #GDPR #privacy #supply chain
