eID deserves its own standardisation mandate: a call to the European Commission

20 Apr 2021 eID deserves its own standardisation mandate: a call to the European Commission

In this new White Paper, Eurosmart argues that the European Commission should urgently issue a standardisation request on digital identity (eID). Such a request should be addressed to CEN-CENELEC and ETSI. This is crucial to support the upcoming legislation on a European digital identity.

At the moment, digital identity is standardised on the basis of an old and expired mandate (M/460) on eSignature. However, Eurosmart has repeatedly underlined that digital identity is not any other trust service, it is the basis of all trust services.

Therefore, the provision of digital identity should be ruled by its own requirements, not by the requirements that apply to trust services. Such requirements should translate fundamental principles: privacy, security, non-discrimination, sovereign control over identity providers, functional separation (gatekeepers cannot be identity providers) and European place of establishment.

Thus, Eurosmart believes that digital identity should have its own standards and its own standardisation mandate, to ensure that these principles are respected.

This standardisation mandate should prescribe work sharing between CEN-CENELEC and ETSI. It is very important not to set CEN-CENELEC aside. CEN-CENELEC -by essence- guarantees that Europe’s sovereignty will not be overlooked.

Please have a look at our full position paper below.