European authorities have finally managed to reach an agreement to set up a digital identity wallet across the Old Continent. The key is access to all official documents on a smartphone!

European authorities have finally managed to reach an agreement to set up a digital identity wallet across the Old Continent. The key is access to all official documents on a smartphone!

As our society becomes more and more connected and state administrative services become ever more digital, the European Union has been seeking for several years now to set up a European digital identity wallet, in which each citizen could store their identity documents (identity card, license, etc.) and access public and private online services throughout Europe. To put it simply, it would be a sort of European equivalent to France Identity. Things are finally coming to fruition since an agreement was reached on November 8, 2023 between the three major bodies of the EU, namely the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe. As announced in a statement, the text provides that this digital identity wallet, called EU Digital ID Wallet, can be associated with various documents such as a driving license, a bank account or diplomas. Users will be able to prove their identity and communicate electronic documents from their mobile phone. This system must rely on already existing national solutions, such as France Identity, by making them interoperable. A most ambitious project… Perhaps too much?

EU Digital ID Wallet: an agreement finally reached

The digital identity wallet is much more than just a file containing different documents. “In addition to securely storing their digital identity, the wallet will allow users to open bank accounts, make payments and store digital documents, such as a mobile version of the driving license, a medical prescription, a professional certificate or a transport ticket”, explains the European Commission. In addition, it will allow citizens of the Old Continent to free themselves from identification on the major digital platforms listed by the DSA, such as Apple, Google, Amazon or Facebook, often required to access certain services. The digital giants will have no choice but to comply with the protocol put in place by the European Union. “Private services that are legally required to authenticate their users will have to accept the EU digital identity wallet to connect to their online services”explains the Council of the EU.

The European Digital Commissioner, Thierry Breton, welcomed the agreement, welcoming “a giant step and a world first”. “Thanks to the European Digital Identity Wallet, all EU citizens will be able to have a secure digital identity throughout their lives”, he enthuses on X (formerly Twitter). For her part, the Spanish Minister of the Economy Nadia Calviño welcomed the agreement reached: “This is an essential step forward for the European Union to become a global reference in the digital field, protecting our rights and our democratic values”.

However, some fears have been expressed regarding data privacy, especially since the digital wallet will not only allow payments, but also keep track of all transactions, and even interact with other wallets. The European Union wants to be reassuring on this subject.“The wallet will fully respect the user’s choice whether or not to share their personal data. It will offer the highest degree of security independently certified according to the same standards, and the relevant parts of its code will be published as open source to exclude any possibility misuse, illegal use, tracking, tracing or government interception.” It will even be possible to report misuse of this data directly on the EU Digital ID Wallet.

Let’s calm our enthusiasm, however, because this digital wallet may not arrive anytime soon. As a reminder, the initial proposal was presented in June 2021 by the European Commission. The text must now be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council to enter into force. It will then be necessary to wait twenty-four months following the implementing act for States to offer their citizens the EU Digital ID Wallet.