eIDAS : Europe’s new framework for a Digital Single Market

Europe’s new eIDAS Regulation, which stands for “Electronic Identification and Trust Services for digital transactions in the Internal market¹” represents an essential foundation for building a borderless Digital Single Market. It aims to create the conditions for the growth of the digital economy through the facilitation of cross-border digital transactions.

This new regulation contributes to building the user confidence in electronic services, and guarantees the legal and security framework for digital transactions for the public sector. It will also serve as an incentive for the adoption of digital processes in the private sectors and foster new innovative services.

This regulation is two-fold, covering:

• Electronic identification, to ensure mutual recognition of electronic identities between European Member States, and
• Create a new internal market for electronic trust services (such as electronic signatures, electronic seals, time stamping) by ensuring that they can be used across borders and have the same legal status as traditional paper-based processes

The European Digital Single Market is one of the priorities of the European Commission with a potential for economic growth equivalent to over 415 billion euros and the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
Andrea Servida, Head of Task force “Legislation Team (eIDAS) at the European Commission²

The regulation sets the conditions to develop digital usages for cross-border online public services. It will also boost private services such as e-banking, e-health, the sharing economy, etc.

• European citizens will be able to carry out online administrative procedures throughout Europe (for example, University enrollment in another Member State or complete administrative procedures when moving to another Member State)
• European-based companies will be able to bid electronically in response to public calls for tender across Europe
• Companies or individuals from different Member States will be able to sign electronic contracts

Morpho is actively involved in various commitees and organisations, including standardisation bodies³, responsible for the technical specifications of eIDAS. Morpho is thus ready to implement these specifications as soon as they are released.

¹ EU Regulation 910/2014
² extract of an article published on 3rd February 2016, in the Digital Agenda for Europe Blog http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/blog/eidas-regulation-and-european-digital-single-market-4
³ such as CEN (European Committee for Standardisation ) Commitees