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Examining the Impact of eIDAS - Part 1

Picture of Gaurav Sharma (guest) Gaurav Sharma (guest) : 14. May 2021

Digital Signatures eIDAS PSD2
Examining the Impact of eIDAS - Part 1

The eIDAS regulation is a key foundational stone in creating the pan-European Digital Single Market. It provides the essential elements to build a robust and secure electronic identification system and reliable trust services. Without the tools that eIDAS enables, several EU directives and initiatives would not be able to function effectively - or at all.

eIDAS regulates electronic identification, electronic signatures, electronic seals, qualified digital certificates, and a whole host of authentication mechanisms and tools. It provides a hitherto unprecedented level of transparency and interoperability that is fundamental to creating a true digital market. This two-part series examines how the eIDAS Regulation impacts and enables other key EU initiatives.

PSD2 - Revised Payment Services Directive

PSD2 is meant to revolutionize the way electronic payments are made and received. It allows independent third-party app developers and FinTechs to tap into the core systems of banks using open APIs and potentially provide an infinite number of new and useful applications to manage banking products and services. Conventional logic dictates that any such initiative would need a rock-solid system for client identification and authentication. This is where eIDAS comes into the picture. eIDAS provides the tools and the mechanisms which allow for the effective use of PSD2 at a fundamental level.

 

ECI - European Citizen’s Initiative

The ECI is a direct democracy initiative that allows citizens to participate in the legislative process within the EU. Once a proposal has one million signatories, the European Commission can initiate a legislative proposal. Some of the challenges of this pan-European direct democracy experiment are addressed by eIDAS. It can provide unique identification to voters across the EU. The benefits of such a system to initiatives like the ECI are obvious.

 

eHGI - eHealth Governance Initiative

The demographic and lifestyle changes of the last few decades, combined with the increasing cost of medical care, have ensured that the debate about healthcare remains at the fore. The eHealth initiative is a step to remedy the situation by providing greater coordination between national eHealth initiatives and promoting best practices across Europe. Whenever the issue of cross-border service delivery comes into the picture, eIDAS has a role to play. In this case, eIDAS can provide for reliable identification of patients, which can help in the faster and seamless delivery of healthcare services across national boundaries.

 

UMM & DS - Uniform User Management and Digital Signatures

The UMM and DS project is being undertaken to simplify the customs process across EU member states. Traders will be able to use a single interface for customs rather than relying on a different one for each member state. eIDAS will play a role in user identification and authentication by implementing digital signatures for use in a custom-related activity.

 

The above list provides a taste of the vast potential and universal applicability of eIDAS. In Part 2 of our series, we look at some more interesting cases like the European Social Security Number and the role of eIDAS in preventing money laundering.

 

 

 

 

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References and Further Reading

 Image: Formula One, courtesy of Srikrishna Narasimhan, Flickr (CC BY 2.0) enhanced with the eIDAS letters by VentureSkies