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The eIDAS Regulation is a European regulation that establishes a common legal framework for trust services and means of electronic identification in the European Union.
The purpose of eIDAS, in line with the purpose for which the EU was created, is to facilitate any type of electronic transaction between citizens, companies and public administrations of any State of the Union.
In other words, any citizen of the EU can easily and safely access any public or private service offered by any State or company in the European Union. In short, it is about moving towards a truly digital single market.
In this post we will explain what the eIDAS Regulation is in more detail and what benefits it implies for companies.
What is the eIDAS Regulation?
The eIDAS Regulation, also called Regulation (EU) No. 910/2014, is one of the actions of the European Commission to achieve the digital single market and has been established with a double objective:
- First, to ensure that all citizens of the European Union can access public services of any State of the Union using their electronic National ID number.
- Second, to create an internal market for trust services, granting them the same legality as traditional paper-based processes.
It is therefore a regulation that establishes legal and security standards for electronic identification services and trust services.
In Article 3, paragraph 16 of the eIDAS Regulation, trust services are defined as follows:
“‘trust service’ means an electronic service normally provided for remuneration which consists of:
a) the creation, verification, and validation of electronic signatures, electronic seals or electronic time stamps, electronic registered delivery services and certificates related to those services, or
b) the creation, verification and validation of certificates for website authentication; or
c) the preservation of electronic signatures, seals or certificates related to those services”
To understand the scope of eIDAS and its contribution to the achievement of a digital single market, we can summarize the regulation in 4 basic points, which are explained below.
The eIDAS Regulation:
- Establishes the conditions under which Member States recognize the means of identification of natural persons and legal entities included in the electronic identification system of another Member State.
- Establishes a supervisory and accountability regime to enable qualified trust service providers to provide, at a national and cross-border level, qualified trust services with a high level of security for electronic transactions.
- Establishes a legal framework for electronic signatures, electronic stamps, electronic time stamps, electronic documents, certified electronic delivery services (certified email) and certified services for website authentication;
- It is mandatory for cross-border access to public services in EU countries that have electronic identification (eID) documents.
In short, with the establishment of a standard and common legal and security framework for all EU countries, it is possible to generate the trust, security and transparency necessary for online commerce to flourish and for all types of electronic transactions to take place between citizens, companies and public authorities of European states.
With eIDAS, foundations have been established so that access to all types of goods and services online in the EU is safe, reliable and convenient.
How does the eIDAS Regulation contribute to the creation of the digital single market in the European Union?
- It simplifies the procedures with public administrations.
- It facilitates the mobility of citizens between EU states.
- It promotes the digital transformation of organizations and companies.
- It stimulates the development of innovative and safe digital services.
- It reduces administrative burdens and improves processes in companies.
- It improves the online user experience.
- It makes the trust and authentication services market more transparent and respectful of citizens’ privacy.
Thanks to the implementation of the eIDAS Regulation, Europe is the first and only macro-region in the world with a comprehensive legal and technological framework for electronic identification and trust services.
What are the benefits of the eIDAS Regulation for companies?
The use of trust services regulated by eIDAS, such as the electronic signature or the certified email that we offer at Signaturit, represent a significant reduction of paperwork and bureaucracy in companies.
Although it may seem like a minor expense, the amount that companies can save material, management and shipping expenses thanks to the use of electronic documentation and electronic signatures is considerable.
On the other hand, electronic trust services also save time, thereby improving the efficiency of the administrative teams responsible for sending, tracking and receiving documents that have to be signed.
What’s more, these services contribute to the digital transformation of companies, since they facilitate their orientation towards the client.
Companies that are or want to become “customer centric” have to put the client at the center of decision making, and they have to be able to facilitate each client’s relationship with the company.
For example, in the case of having to sign a contract or pre-contractual document to hire the services of a company, customers or users can sign any document “on the go” thanks to our advanced electronic signature.
And they can do it directly from their mobile phone at any time, either while waiting for the bus or in any other down time they have in their day to day.
Thanks to the electronic signature, customers do not have to print paper, nor do they have to scan it once signed to return it via email to the company.
They only need to access their email from their mobile phone, without signing up for Signaturit or downloading any application.
Another one of the main advantages that eIDAS brings to companies is that an advanced electronic signature solution like Signaturit is advanced and is legal and valid in all European Union states, which contributes to and facilitates the expansion of companies to other European markets.
In the case of certified email, which is used to certify the integrity and openness of an email, an SMS and their corresponding attachments, as well as to certify the integrity of the information of said communications, the advantages are similar to those of the electronic signature:
- Communications with third parties can be sent certified in an agile, fast and legal way.
- Electronic certification is legal and valid among third parties of any EU country.
- Electronic certification facilitates and speeds up regulatory compliance in all cases in which communications or notifications must be sent with acknowledgment of receipt.
For all these reasons, the eIDAS Regulation further strengthens the economic and social ties between companies, individuals and European public administrations, facilitating the contracting of services, online transactions and electronic identification. This makes the Union a more transparent and safer digital market.
If you want to try our advanced electronic signature or our certified email service, do not hesitate to contact us. We can help you detect what use cases there are in your company, and what the best way to implement our services would be given the software you currently use.
