Introduction
As part of the DIGITAL Europe Programme, the European Commission has selected the POTENTIAL (PilOTs for EuropeaN digiTal Identity wALlet) Consortium's proposal for the development of a European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW). This will allow multiple official documents to be stored and exchanged. Luxembourg is represented in the consortium by the Ministry for Digitalisation and the Government IT Centre (CTIE).
The aim is to build a digital portfolio model that is secure, reliable and respects the confidentiality of user data.
4 use cases in Luxembourg
To achieve this digital future, the European Union has chosen to test solutions on a large scale to determine the best way forward. Over the 26 months of the EUDIW pilot project, the consortium participants will test the effectiveness of their own national and/or European solution dedicated to digital ID and their compatibility on a European scale through 6 use cases.
The Ministry for Digitalisation and the CTIE are participating in the following 4 use cases:
- "eGov Services": for a digital wallet that enables citizens to prove their identity quickly and securely when accessing government digital services;
- "Bank Account Opening": for a digital identity that can be used in the private sector to open a bank account online anywhere in Europe;
- "Mobile Driving Licence": for a digital driving licence recognised by police forces or car rental agencies throughout Europe;
- "Qualified eSignature": for a qualified electronic signature with legal value, enabling citizens to sign documents remotely and recognised by all Member States.
In practice
The daily lives of European citizens who choose to take advantage of the benefits of a digital wallet will be greatly simplified.
The example of going on holiday to any country in the European Union is a practical case of using a digital wallet. As you are already used to doing with your plane tickets, your identity documents will also be stored in your digital wallet on your phone. So there will be no more "gosh, which pocket did I put it in?" or "but I had it in my hand a few seconds ago"!
Then, when you arrive at your destination, you will want to pick up a rental car. Beforehand, you will have gathered and transmitted all the necessary information in digital form (identity papers, driving licence, etc.). The formalities can be completed in a matter of seconds, and all you have to do is pick up the car keys and get behind the wheel.
All of a sudden, while you are by the pool, you receive a message from a potential employer to whom you have applied, urging you to provide an extract from your criminal record so that it can be added to your file. Nothing could be easier: your electronic wallet allows you to identify yourself with all the digital public services, including MyGuichet.lu. You log in, request your record remotely, receive it in electronic format and then simply send it to the potential employer in question! All from the comfort of your deckchair!
You are finally in the clear. You are enjoying your well-deserved holiday, but you have been urgently asked to sign an important document at a notary's office? The qualified electronic signature, developed and recognised at European level, will be helpful here too. You sign the document digitally, in an instant, securely and remotely.
And at last, you can enjoy your free time with complete peace of mind!
European context
The POTENTIAL project has its roots in the revision of the eIDAS regulation (no. 910/2014) - Electronic Identification, Authentication and trust Services. This second version aims to provide each Member State with a digital wallet (EUDIW) for storing multiple official documents such as an ID card, driving licence, etc.
Given that the creation of EUDIW and its compatibility between countries require European alignment, a group of experts is working on the publication of an architectural framework and a reference implementation. In order to test these technical solutions and their cross-border interoperability, the Commission has initiated a large-scale pilot programme. The Ministry for Digitalisation and the CTIE are taking part in one of these pilot projects, namely POTENTIAL - PilOTs for EuropeaN digiTal Identity wALlet.
Thanks to the revision of the eIDAS regulation, which aims to equip each Member State with an EUDIW, "at least 80% of European citizens will be able to use a digital identity solution to access key public services by 2030".
Security: an essential aspect
In addition to its ease of use and interoperability, the EUDIW must be secure, as stipulated in the eIDAS regulation: "European digital identity wallets should ensure the highest possible level of security for personal data used for authentication, whether stored locally or using cloud solutions".
Therefore, the wallet focuses by design on protecting users and their data. It must prevent fraud and the illicit use of identity data, attributes or electronic credentials. It must enable user parties to verify the processing of confidential data in accordance with the law.
The eIDAS regulation aims to achieve a high level of security and reliability, in particular by verifying the compliance of European digital identity wallets through certification in accordance with the European cybersecurity certification schemes established by Regulation (EU) 2019/881 and the GDPR standard.
Pragmatic vision and defined objectives
The POTENTIAL consortium's approach is pragmatic, user-centred and aimed at guaranteeing interoperability between IT systems. POTENTIAL brings together more than 140 public and private participants from 19 Member States of the European Union and Ukraine to work on the technical, business and regulatory issues involved in providing a digital identity. The aim of this group of experts is to find solutions and test them on a large scale in order to facilitate the implementation of the eIDAS regulation.
POTENTIAL aims to:
- jointly develop national digital wallets that can be accessed throughout Europe in a totally secure way;
- standardise online procedures between countries, such as opening a bank account, hiring a car or signing documents remotely;
- test the interoperability of its wallets in different use cases;
- promote collaboration and efficiency between governments, businesses and individuals in Europe.
Conclusion
The Ministry for Digitalisation and the CTIE intend to provide Luxembourg with the services and technologies needed to move towards the adoption of a digital wallet. This development must be carried out together and in line with the progress made in the other Member States of the European Union.
In future, using a digital wallet to take steps will become as simple and natural as presenting physical documents. The data protection and security aspects of verifying the authenticity of shared data will mean that the trust placed in digital certificates will be the same as that placed in paper versions. For those who choose to do so, having a digital wallet will in fact be an extension of their physical wallet. The direct consequence of such a development will be the development of the digital trust of European citizens, a sine qua non for a successful digital transition of society.
Providing a secure and reliable digital wallet solution that is easy to use and offers documents that are recognised throughout Europe is a major objective of the Ministry for Digitalisation.
Glossary
Interoperability
Interoperability is the ability of different systems to communicate and exchange data without the need for user intervention. This is what makes it possible to look up an address on your laptop and send it to your car's navigation system with a single click, or to print a document without having to install a printer driver on your laptop.
In the context of administrative procedures, interoperability (IOP) makes it possible, for example, to set up a company without having to go to different administrations to provide proof of residence, criminal records, diplomas and tax information. Instead, the authorities could simply retrieve this data from state databases.
In the government context, interoperability can help to reduce bureaucracy and improve the efficiency of public services. It can also help to improve transparency and accountability by making it easier for citizens to access public data and services.
Digital wallet
A digital wallet is a smartphone application. Like a "safe" it stores your digital identity card in a format that allows this information to be exchanged securely and easily with different parties.
The EUDIW (European Digital Identity Wallet) will enable every citizen to identify and authenticate themselves more securely to a wide range of services provided by the State and various private parties, both on the Internet and in real life. As well as guaranteeing your identity, this wallet will make it possible to store and transmit certificates to third parties, for example on the right to reside, work or study in a Member State.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/core/api/front/document/73759/download
Digital identity
Digital identity is a set of attributes that can be used to identify a natural or legal person on the Internet. An attribute is a piece of information that characterises an entity, e.g. a company, or an individual, e.g. their first or last name.
An issuer, in this case the State, has created and issued a digital identity for an individual. The latter is said to be the holder of this identity. The holder of the identity then decides whether or not to share it with other entities, such as a bank, which can verify its authenticity. These are the relying parties. In this way, the holder has control over his data and to whom it is transmitted. The issuer's certification of the attributes can be checked by the relying party, which can then ensure that they are authentic. The issuer, the holder and the relying party form the digital identity triangle.
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