EU: eSignature Profiles for 29 countries available for consultation
The lack of mutual recognition of electronic signatures among the Member States has been recognised as one of the barriers in conducting business at the European level, namely in the area of public eProcurement. Therefore, since 2005, IDABC has launched an action whose objective has been to analyse the interoperability requirements of electronic signatures for different eGovernment applications and services; the Preliminary study on mutual recognition of eSignatures for eGovernment applications.
The action takes into account the relevant provisions of Directive 1999/93/EC of 13 December 1999 on a Community framework for electronic signatures, their national implementation as well as the midterm report on the Directive and the standardisation activities on the interoperability of electronic signatures (ETSI).
Based upon the answers of 29 national correspondents to a questionnaire prepared and run by IDABC’s contractor, each National Profile provides the type of eSignature legally required for each eGovernment application in the respective countries. IDABC’s contractor will soon produce an Analysis and Assessment of legal, organisational and technical similarities and differences among the 29 countries, to be finalised in September 2007.
Extracted from this coming assessment, potential impacts and issues on eSignature interoperability or mutual recognition will serve as the basis for making recommendations and proposing a mutual information mechanism on electronic signatures requirements. The preliminary study is scheduled to be completed in 2009.
