On Thursday 16 March, MEPs meeting in Strasbourg adopted their position for the future inter-institutional negotiations on the European Digital Identity (eID) (418 votes in favour, 103 against, 24 abstentions).
As a reminder, this digital wallet should allow for online identification and authentication without the need for commercial providers and should give citizens more control over their data.
The text adopted by the Parliament provides that the use of the digital wallet should be voluntary and that there should be no differentiation in treatment between citizens who use it and those who do not.
In addition, the adopted report plans for a requirement for Member States to set up at least one wallet including an electronic identification system in order to make wallets interoperable at European level.
These two provisions were added by amendment on 9 February this year, during the vote in the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, which is responsible for this dossier (see EUROPE 13118/14).
In addition, the text includes provisions to ensure that personal identification data and electronic certificates can be requested, obtained, stored, combined and used “with complete security”. A user system allowing for online and offline identification should also be put in place.
The Council of the EU adopted its mandate to start negotiations with the European Parliament on 6 December (see EUROPE 13078/11). The Swedish Presidency of the EU Council, for its part, had made the issue a priority, announcing in January in its work programme that it would try to “go as far as possible in the negotiations” (see EUROPE 13095/4). (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)