GSO4SCHOOL Summer School 2020
On 14 October 2014 the eIDAS Regulation launch event took place with the participation of Commissioner Neelie Kroes, representantives from the European Parliament and Italian Presidency of the Council. The event was organised to highlight that eIDAS is key to unlock the Digital Single Market, with the participation and sponsorship of private sector stakeholders.
During the event, an electronic signature ceremony of the eIDAS Regulation was held. The purpose of this “electronic signature ceremony” was to represent the commitment of EU Institutions to “go digital” together with public administrations in Member States, for the benefit of EU citizens and businesses.
What is the eIDAS Regulation about?
The eIDAS Regulation enables the use of electronic identification means and trust services (i.e. electronic signatures, electronic seals, time stamping, registered electronic delivery and website authentication) by citizens, businesses and public administrations to access on-line services or manage electronic transactions. It provides:
• transparency and accountability: well-defined minimal obligations for Trust Service Providers (TSP) and liability;
• guarantee of trustworthiness of the services together with security requirements for TSPs;
• technological neutrality: avoiding requirements which could only be met by a specific technology;
• market rules and standardisation certainty.
What are the benefits of the eIDAS regulation?
• Citizens will be able to carry out secure cross-border electronic transactions and take full advantage of their rights across the EU, from enrolment in a foreign university to access to electronic health records.
• Citizens moving to another Member State will be able to manage registration and all other administration online, cutting out the paperwork.
• Businesses will benefit from less red tape. The gains can be enormous for them and lead to a significant reduction in overheads – boosting profits. It can make the difference between expansion and stagnation for small and medium sized businesses. For example in Estonia you can set up a limited liability company in just 18 minutes using an eID!
• Security and privacy concerns are reduced, as citizens and businesses can use their own national eIDs to access services on-line.
• Government services become more flexibile and convenient, like the private sector.
• Public administrations will save taxpayers’ money through reduced administrative burdens and will be able to provide a better and more efficient service and a better experience for users. Environmental benefits will accrue through reduced travel and paper use.
Why not just update the e-Signature Directive?
The e-Signature Directive has been in place for 15 years, since 1999. The Directive has gaps such as undefined obligations for national supervision of service providers, legal and technical cross-border interoperability issues, and does not cover new technologies (such as mobile or cloud signing). These issues are best addressed by integrating the e-signature rules into eIDAS rules.
When will the Regulation apply?
The eIDAS regulation entered into force on the 17th September 2014. After the adoption of relevant implementing acts (expected by mid-2015) Member States may voluntarily recognise notified e-identification of the other Member States. The rules for trust services will apply from 01/07/2016. The mandatory mutual recognition of eIDs will apply from mid-2018.
Will this Regulation directly apply to the EU Institutions?
No. An EU Regulation is applicable only to Member States and does not have direct application to the EU Institutions. The EU institutions have started using e-ID: in just one year they have nearly 1000 electronic transactions on the internal market information system and almost 30,000 electronic signatures for the Official Journal, giving legal effect to EU laws. Under Horizon 2020, they manage funding grants only electronically. ECAS, the Commission’s e-identification and authentication system, has over 1.5 million users.
More information:
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/trust-services-and-eid
http://certifiedsignature.eu/
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