European Digital Identity
Council adopts revised legal framework for a European Digital Identity.
HS – 04/2024
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.