The French Presidency of the Council of the European Union has provided an update on the progress of work towards a framework for a European digital identity (see EUROPE 12947/3) in a document dated 17 May, which EUROPE has consulted.
Discussions remain open on several points, starting with the function of the future wallet as a means of digital identification and its function of sharing different types of data and attributes.
Some Member States argue in favour of the wallet being a means of identification in its own right, while others would like it to work in synergy with existing national means of identification and to be seen as a ‘container’.
Similarly, Member States are still divided regarding the level of security to be put in place. Some want a high level of security to ensure user protection and confidence, while others feel that a ‘substantial’ level is preferable, so as not to limit the adoption of wallet use.
Discussions are also still ongoing on the issue of the unique identifier. Several Member States that support the Commission’s proposal want the identifier to be “unique and persistent” in order to facilitate data matching. Others, however, believe that a unique and persistent identifier could facilitate the profiling and tracking of citizens.
Other points are still under discussion, such as archiving, electronic registers or trust services for the provision of electronic attestations.
The dossier will be on the agenda of the Telecommunications Council on 3 June.
See the document (in French): https://aeur.eu/f/1r8 (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)