About Learn more about the initiative, including its history. Find the European Digital Identity Framework
regulation and explore a timeline of the entire project, including future milestones. 2014
The adoption of the eIDAS regulation in 2014 (Regulation (EU) No 910/2014) allowed notified national electronic
identification schemes
(eIDs) to be
used to access public services online across borders.
But our digital landscape has continued to evolve, with public and private sector services
increasingly
offered
online, creating a growing need for secure digital authentication. At the same time, threats
to digital
privacy have
become apparent, with people increasingly worried about profiling and surveillance. An
update was clearly
needed.
2021 In 2021, the European Commission proposed a revision to the original 2014
regulation called the European Digital Identity Framework, based on the
principle that everyone should always control their digital identity. EU Digital
Identity Wallets are the means to
achieve this goal. Citizens should be able to carry their digital identity with them across
the EU, moving seamlessly
across borders without ever losing control of their data, with privacy and security at the
heart of the project. The
regulation entered into force in May 2024. The wallet supports the principles outlined in the EU
Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles and will help
fulfil the Digital
Decade Policy Programme target of 100% of EU citizens having access to Digital ID by
2030. 2024
On 29 February 2024, the
European Parliament adopted the proposed regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1183) with 335 votes to 190, and 31 abstentions. It entered into force on 20 May following its
publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Why was a new proposal needed? The European Commission,
Parliament and Council created a report about the evaluation of Regulation (EU)
No 910/2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions
in the internal market (eIDAS). The EU Digital Identity Wallet is a collaboration between the EU institutions and the Member States.
Together, we
are working across two main streams of work to make EU Digital Identity Wallets a reality that
can be used by
citizens, residents, and businesses across Europe. Seeks to uphold the interests of the Union as a whole. Proposed the new regulation to
establish a framework for European Digital Identity, amending the eIDAS regulation, on June
23 2021. Facilitates negotiations between the European Parliament and the European Council
as an ‘honest broker’ mediating between the co-legislators. Represents EU citizens and enters into negotiations with the European Council, in a process
known as the trilogue. Represents individual Member States and enters into trilogue negotiations
with the European Parliament on the proposed text. Together, they finalise and agree on a
final version of the European Digital Identity Framework that gives legal basis for the
wallet. On 3 June 2021, the European Commission adopted a Recommendation calling for Member States to
work together
to develop a common Toolbox to build the wallet. This includes an Architecture and Reference
Framework, a
set of common standards and technical specifications, as well as common guidelines and best
practices. As part of its contribution to the Toolbox, the European Commission is also developing a
wallet Reference Implementation – code libraries for Large Scale Pilots and Member
States to build and test wallets.
Member State Experts in the eIDAS expert group, in close collaboration with the European
Commission, work together, to create the Toolbox. The primary outcome of this work is the
Architecture and Reference Framework (ARF) outlining the common standards and technical
specifications of the wallet. Four Large Scale Pilot projects, funded by European Commission grants, are testing the wallet
Reference Implementation and ARF specifications across a variety of use cases. 360 distinct
companies
and public entities are taking part, across many European countries; their goal is to enrich
the Toolbox by gathering feedback from implementers and users.
The
European Digital Identity Framework
amends the eIDAS regulation (Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS)),
with the goal of creating a unified approach to electronic
identification that works across every Member State. Here is what is
improved and new:
improved newly added The legal and technical work behind the EU Digital Identity Wallet has occurred in tandem, with
insights from
the Toolbox and Large Scale Pilots influencing the development of the legislation. 1999 Legal 2006 Legal 2014 Legal 2020 Legal 2021 Legal Technical 2022 Legal Technical 2023 Legal Technical 2024 Legal Technical 2025 Technical 2026 Legal Technical Legal Legal Legal Legal Legal Technical Legal The Legislation Advances Technical The Legislation Advances Legal Negotiating the legislation Technical Designing and Testing the Wallet Legal The Regulation is adopted Technical The Path to Building the Wallet Technical Legal Technical Large Scale Pilot projects are currently test driving the many use cases of EU Digital Identity
Wallets in the real world.About the Initiative
How it began: digital identity across the EU
Who is working to define the EU Digital Identity Wallet?
The legislative work
The European Commission
The European Parliament
The European Council
The technical work
The European Commission
Member States Expert Groups
Large Scale Pilot Projects
The
European Digital Identity Framework improves on the eIDAS regulation
in several ways
Our history and milestones
What are the Large Scale Pilots?
The Legislation Advances
Progress on the technical side
Negotiating the legislation
Designing and Testing the Wallet
The Regulation is adopted
The Path to Building the Wallet
1999
Adoption of Directive 1999/93/EC (Community framework for
electronic signatures)
2006
Adoption of Directive 2006/123/EC (Services in the Internal
Market)
2014
Adoption of Regulation 910/2014 (eIDAS 1)
2020
Public consultation on revision of Regulation (EU) 910/2014
(eIDAS) launched
2021
Commission publishes proposal to amend Regulation (EU)
910/2014 (eIDAS)
Commission publishes the Recommendation for a Common EU
Toolbox
Toolbox process begins
2022
2023
2024
2025
First Member State wallets made available
2026
Public and Private Services must accept the EU Digital
Identity Wallet for Authentication
Wallets widely available in all Member States
Overview
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