Digital identity

In September 2020, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the Commission would be issuing proposals for the European digital identity, which would be available to all European Union (EU) citizens and businesses. EU citizens, residents and businesses would be given digital wallets that would be able to link their national digital identities with proof of other personal details (e.g. driving licences, professional qualifications or bank accounts). These wallets could be provided by public authorities or by private entities, on condition that they are recognised by an EU Member State.

The digital identity would allow users to access services online without having to use private identification methods or unnecessarily sharing personal data, thus giving them full control of the data they share. They would be able to prove their identity and to share electronic documents from their digital wallets with a click on their smartphone or a similar device.

Several Member States have already developed national digital identities. In June 2021, the Commission issued a proposal to amend the existing EU legislation on the electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market (the eIDAS regulation). This amendment, when adopted, would allow the European digital identity wallets to build on these national systems and for these systems to become interoperable.