Members of the European Parliament’s (MEPs) Industry, Research and Energy Committee have given their support to a new digital identity framework, eID, by 55 votes to 8.
The Framework was proposed in June 2021, and would create an interoperable, EU-wide scheme, allowing all European citizens to use the all-in-one gateway to access public services.
Users will be able to identify and authenticate themselves online via a European digital identity wallet without having to go through commercial providers.
Amendments were also proposed by the MEPs, including making the wallet a tool that can also read and verify electronic documents, and allowing for peer-to-peer interactions. They also proposed measures to strengthen privacy and cybersecurity.
“Rapporteur Romana Jerković (S&D, HR) said: “With the European Digital Identity Framework, we want the EU to become the first global region with a governance framework for trusted digital identities. The Digital Wallet will become a reliable, all-in-one identity gateway that puts citizens in full control of their own data and gives them the freedom to decide exactly what information to share, with whom, and when.
“From social, financial, medical, and professional data, to contacts and much more, it will make it possible to store personal credentials within a single digital ID. Digital identity is no longer just a nice-to-have feature, but a new driver of civic engagement and social empowerment and a tool for an inclusive digital Europe.”
This vote also gave the green light to enter into interinstitutional negotiations, pending formal approval during the 13-16 March 2023 plenary session.