Council adopts revised legal framework for a European Digital Identity.

On 26 March 2024, the Council of the European Union (EU) adopted the new Regulation on the European Digital Identity (eID). It was published in the Official Journal on 30 April. This amends the 2014 Regulation on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market (eIDAS Regulation), which created the conditions for secure access to services and the secure execution of cross-border online transactions in the EU.

As part of the revision, the European Commission proposed a new legal framework in June 2021 that would give all citizens and companies based in the EU access to a European Digital Identity Wallet ("EUID Wallet"). This is intended to ensure universal access to secure and trustworthy electronic identification and authentication. The EUID Wallet is also the basis for the European Social Security Pass (ESSPASS) and the planned applications for a digital European health card and a digital A1 certificate.

Secure Wallet for the eID

The EUID Wallet should enable EU-wide proof of identity, both for the use of online services and for the cross-border verification of digital documents. This means that mobile people can also provide evidence relevant to social insurance digitally. This should be done without having to use private identification methods or unnecessarily disclose personal data.

Standardisation of the form and framework of the eID

The EUID Wallet dashboard, which can be accessed both online and offline, can be used to view all transactions, report any breaches of data protection and enable interactions between wallets. It should also be possible to link national eID systems to the wallet and use electronic signatures for non-professional purposes. This creates uniformity between the wallet as a form of eID and the issuing system.

Further key data

The use of the EUID Wallet should remain voluntary. Precautions have therefore been taken to prevent discrimination against those who choose not to use the wallet. At the same time, utilisation should be as low-threshold as possible. The issue, use and cancellation will be free of charge for natural persons.

Next steps

With the adoption by the Council, the final step in the legislative process has been taken and the regulation will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal. It is to be fully implemented by 2026. Until then, every EU Member State must provide its citizens with a digital identity wallet and accept EUID Wallets from other Member States.