MEPs on the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) debated, on Monday 28 February, the European Commission’s proposal for an EU Digital Identity Wallet (see EUROPE 12733/1).
During the discussions, several points already raised on 2 February (see EUROPE 12883/9) by the members of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), which is responsible for the substance, came up again.
On the left wing of the European Parliament, the priority for S&D and The Left as well as for the Greens/EFA, is data protection and privacy.
“We support Mr Ansip’s report, but we note that the changes proposed by the rapporteur are limited. There is room for improvement on the protection of the most vulnerable citizens”, said Clara Aguilera García (S&D, Spain).
In addition, the three political groups also insisted that the use of the Digital Identity Wallet should be established on a voluntary basis.
“It must remain possible to use public services without having this wallet”, stressed Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA, Germany), citing “disparities” among EU Member States.
On this point, the rapporteur, Andrus Ansip (Renew Europe, Estonia), reassured the Parliament that there would be no obligation concerning users. On the other hand, he argued, all entities covered by the regulation would be obliged to also provide access to their services via the Digital Identity Wallet.
Furthermore, MEPs unanimously reiterated their commitment to developing a secure identification system that respects privacy and data protection.
“We are talking about sensitive data, privacy, health, professional qualification; these data must be processed when strictly necessary, with the highest standards”, said Anne-Sophie Pelletier (The Left, France).
On the other hand, the ECR group warns that the proposed deadlines for the implementation of the Digital Identity Wallet “may be too tight”.
The Commission’s initial proposal provides for a deadline of 12 months from the entry into force of the text for Member States to be obliged to issue the Digital Identity Wallet to citizens.
“Attention must be paid to the challenges. With too tight a timetable, there is a risk that the requirements cannot be fully met. If the regulation is not properly implemented, we fear that there will be security breaches that could undermine the trust people have in the system”, summarised Eugen Jurzyca (ECR, Slovakia). (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)