August 3, 2020

The Commission has launched a public consultation on the revision of the rules on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market, the eIDAS Regulation.

As Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said, the rules under the Regulation “make it easier for citizens to access public services using electronic identification, such as e-signatures”. The revision to the Regulation “aims to improve its effectiveness, extend its benefits to the private sector and promote trusted digital identities for all Europeans and create a secure and interoperable European Digital Identity which gives citizens control”, she said.

The Commission says that the evaluation will take into account the latest technological and policy developments, such as the increased reliance on doing business online. The public consultation aims to collect views from a broad range of stakeholders and citizens. In parallel, targeted consultations with selected groups of stakeholders will be conducted. They will gather data and evidence on the impacts of specific elements of the possible revision.

The Commission says that the eIDAS Regulation, fully in force since 2018, is “the first and most advanced cross-border legal framework for cross-border electronic identification, authentication and website certification within the EU”. As of next year, 55% of the EU population will be covered. The consultation closes on 2 October 2020. To access the consultation, click here.