Reliable identification documents are at the core of migration or mobility management. But insufficient systems for digital identification and limited documentation are common obstacles in the administrative process. Identity data of migrants and refugees is also often shared without their knowledge or consent. Decentralized and user-centric approaches based on the principle of self-sovereign identity (SSI) can offer a way out. SSI based solutions promise to empower the individual and enhance the administrative process. In this brief, Michael Kolain explains what SSI solutions have to offer compared to conventional forms of digital identification instruments and what challenges need to be addressed to establish an SSI ecosystem. The publication is part of the "Dialogue on Tech and Migration, DoT.Mig." of the Migration Strategy Group, a joint initiative of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the German Marshall Fund.

With its European Interoperability Framework (EIF) adopted in 2019, the European Union seeks to expand the interoperability of various databases, particularly those of administrations and border systems. The interconnection project also affects databases that have not been linked before and that contain information on migration, asylum and crime, and provides for a person-based centralized search and filter function. In this briefing, Alberto Tagliapietra provides background information on interoperability and the status of the EU project, and asks what consequences the project has for individual mobility and digital rights in the EU and at its borders. The publication is part of the "Dialogue on Tech and Migration, DoT.Mig." of the Migration Strategy Group, a joint initiative of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the German Marshall Fund.