European legislators have advanced the adoption of a digital wallet for the entire European Union (EU) by approving a motion to forward the plan.
According to a formal statement, the European Parliament voted on March 15 in favor of drafting a mandate for discussions with the EU member states on the reform of the new European Digital Identity (eID) framework.
The European Unions council is now prepared to immediately begin the negotiations on the legislation’s final form following the plenary’s approval, the legislators said.
The announcement states that the modifications approved by the Industry, Research, and Energy Committee (ITRE) in February would serve as the foundation for the Parliament’s stance during the negotiations.
As was previously mentioned, ITRE incorporated the requirement for zero-knowledge proofs into its eID amendments with the goal of giving EU people complete control over their identification information. The European Parliament said:
“The scheme would allow citizens to identify and authenticate themselves online — via a European digital identity wallet — without having to resort to commercial providers, as is the case today — a practice that has raised trust, security and privacy concerns,”
The eID legislative proposal, which will be unveiled in June 2021, proposes to establish a “European Digital Identity” and a specific digital wallet for EU residents and enterprises.
The “European Digital Identity Wallet,” or EDIW, aims to make it possible for individuals and businesses in the EU to store identity information, such as names and addresses, as well as digitized documents, such as information on bank accounts, birth certificates, diplomas, and other documents, for use across borders.