EU's eIDAS Regulation: A Unified Framework for Electronic Identification and Trust Services Across Member States
The European Union's Electronic Identification and Trust Services (eIDAS) Regulation, introduced in 2014, has significantly influenced the EU's digital economy by unifying and standardizing digital interactions across its member states. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, eIDAS is set for an update with eIDAS 2.0, aiming to create a more secure, interoperable, and user-focused digital identity framework by 2030.
eIDAS 2.0 introduces the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI-Wallet), a standardised digital identity solution that will allow citizens, residents, and businesses to securely store and share official credentials on their personal devices. The wallet will be government-backed, interoperable across all EU countries, and open-source licensed for transparency and security, although some components may be restricted for justified security reasons.
The regulation sets common rules on electronic identification, authentication, trust services (like electronic signatures, seals, timestamps), and ensures electronic transactions and documents are tamper-proof and legally recognized across the EU. Strong provisions are included to protect individuals’ personal data while enabling secure cross-border use of electronic identification and trust services, which also aids anti-money laundering efforts.
eIDAS 2.0 ensures technical and legal standards apply uniformly across Member States, facilitating secure digital services and enabling the EU Digital Identity Wallet to work seamlessly from Lisbon to Ljubljana and beyond. By October-November 2026, all EU Member States must provide at least one official digital identity wallet to their citizens, residents, and businesses. Within 12 months after wallet deployment (by late 2027), relying parties—such as government authorities, banks, telecom providers, and healthcare organizations—must accept these wallets as valid identification tools.
The European Commission aims for at least 80% adoption of digital identity wallets by 2030, making these wallets as ubiquitous and routine as mobile payment apps like Apple Pay or Google Pay. The upcoming years until 2026-2030 are critical for infrastructure rollout, stakeholder readiness, and widespread adoption.
eIDAS 2.0 represents a fundamental transformation in how digital identity and trust services will function in the EU, creating a secure, privacy-respecting, interoperable digital identity ecosystem for Europeans that supports a broad range of public and private services across the Single Market.
As a company deeply involved in the digital economy and digital website management, we are committed to a user-centric internet where individuals maintain control over their data. The European Union's eIDAS Regulation and its upcoming evolution, eIDAS 2.0, are key steps towards achieving this goal, fostering trust, security, and user control in the digital world.
[1] European Commission. (2021). eIDAS Regulation. [online] Available at:
- The European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI-Wallet), introduced as part of eIDAS 2.0, will enable citizens, residents, and businesses to securely store and share official credentials on their personal devices, fostering a more secure, user-focused digital identity framework within the EU's digital economy.
- eIDAS 2.0, with its emphasis on privacy, security, and interoperability, aligns with a company's commitment to a user-centric internet, where individuals maintain control over their data, as it fosters trust, security, and user control in the digital world, supporting a broad range of public and private services across the Single Market.
