BRUSSELS—In response to the European Commission’s announcement today of a proposed framework for a European digital identity, which would allow European citizens and businesses to identify themselves with online and offline public and private services, Christophe Carugati, senior policy analyst at the Center for Data Innovation, released the following statement:
The European digital identity framework is a positive step forward in creating a future where all Europeans will prove their identity, or aspects of their identity, to both public and private services. This proposal will help spur digital transformation in Europe while saving time, reducing costs, and improving privacy.
To accelerate the uptake of digital identity, EU member states should focus on increasing the digitalization of all public services. However, the proposed regulation should not create special obligations for only very large platforms to accept this digital identification. In addition, the public sector should continue to allow the private sector to offer a variety of innovative identity solutions and focus primarily on providing an interoperable national digital identification.
By increasing the availability of public services that accept a European digital identity and working hand-in-hand with private entities to support its uptake, the proposal could unlock economic benefits in a wide range of sectors, including financial, education, and healthcare services.