A digital identity for every EU citizen

For the first time, every European citizen will have access to a highly secure and trustworthy digital identity. This is the core of a deal that negotiators from the European Parliament and Members States will seal today on the ‘European Digital Identity Framework’, a major new law to advance electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the EU's internal market. 

Riho Terras MEP, the EPP Group’s chief negotiator for the European Digital Identity Framework, explains, “This is a major milestone for Europe's digitalisation. All EU citizens will be able to securely identify and authenticate themselves online for public services as well as private operators such as banks, both within their own Member State and for cross-border use. It will significantly increase the convenience of dealing with public authorities and private service providers, as citizens can perform these tasks from anywhere without needing to be somewhere physically. This will save time and money."

"Security was an important aspect for us. Everyone will have access to a legally binding digital signature with the highest security standards recognised across the EU. This is a total game changer for digitalisation, as signatures are widely used in people’s daily lives. It enables people to conduct their affairs more quickly, without having to be physically present to sign or needing to send physical documents. My home country, Estonia, has already been using such a signature for the last 20 years, and it is estimated that we save 2% of GDP per year in productivity. And best of all, these e-signatures are free of charge for citizens," says Terras, a member of the European Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee.

The deal, which will be sealed after more than 150 hours of intensive technical negotiations between the EU institutions, is expected to be concluded around 16.00 today. Member States and the European Parliament will then have to formally adopt the law, which is expected early next year.