The Council of the European Union has approved the regulation on digital identity, allowing member states to offer citizens and companies a digital wallet for uses such as driver’s licenses, diplomas and bank accounts.
The approval of the regulation on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market has been regarded as a milestone in the digital transformation of society, according to Mathieu Michel, Belgium’s Secretary of State for Digitalization, in charge of Administrative Simplification, Privacy and Building Control. “By offering citizens a unique and secure European digital wallet where they retain full control over their personal data, the EU is taking a major step forward. It provides a global standard in the digital field and greater security in contacts with online services.”
The digital wallet will be accessible on smartphones, allowing citizens to identify themselves and share electronic documents.
There are safeguards, according to the EU, to prevent discrimination against anyone who chooses not to use the wallet its use will be voluntary.
The revised eIDAS regulation is expected to enter into force from the end of April this year. However, this still depends on technical details to be determined at the European level in the coming period.
In any case, every member state must be able to offer its citizens a wallet for European digital identity by 2026 and accept wallets from other member states.
(Source: Techcentral.ie)
