EIDAS 2014/0910 EN

1. This Regulation applies to electronic_identification schemes that have been notified by a Member State, and to trust_service providers that are established in the Union.

2. This Regulation does not apply to the provision of trust_services that are used exclusively within closed systems resulting from national law or from agreements between a defined set of participants.

3. This Regulation does not affect national or Union law related to the conclusion and validity of contracts or other legal or procedural obligations relating to form.

Article 5

Data processing and protection

1. Processing of personal data shall be carried out in accordance with Directive 95/46/EC.

2. Without prejudice to the legal effect given to pseudonyms under national law, the use of pseudonyms in electronic transactions shall not be prohibited.

CHAPTER II

ELECTRONIC IDENTIFICATION

Article 6

Mutual recognition

1. When an electronic_identification using an electronic_identification means and authentication is required under national law or by administrative practice to access a service provided by a public_sector_body online in one Member State, the electronic_identification means issued in another Member State shall be recognised in the first Member State for the purposes of cross-border authentication for that service online, provided that the following conditions are met:

(a)	the electronic_identification means is issued under an electronic_identification scheme that is included in the list published by the Commission pursuant to Article 9;

(b)

the assurance level of the electronic_identification means corresponds to an assurance level equal to or higher than the assurance level required by the relevant public_sector_body to access that service online in the first Member State, provided that the assurance level of that electronic_identification means corresponds to the assurance level substantial or high;

(c)	the relevant public_sector_body uses the assurance level substantial or high in relation to accessing that service online.

Such recognition shall take place no later than 12 months after the Commission publishes the list referred to in point (a) of the first subparagraph.

2. An electronic_identification means which is issued under an electronic_identification scheme included in the list published by the Commission pursuant to Article 9 and which corresponds to the assurance level low may be recognised by public sector bodies for the purposes of cross-border authentication for the service provided online by those bodies.

Article 8

Assurance levels of electronic_identification schemes

1. An electronic_identification scheme notified pursuant to Article 9(1) shall specify assurance levels low, substantial and/or high for electronic_identification means issued under that scheme.

2. The assurance levels low, substantial and high shall meet respectively the following criteria:

(a)

assurance level low shall refer to an electronic_identification means in the context of an electronic_identification scheme, which provides a limited degree of confidence in the claimed or asserted identity of a person, and is characterised with reference to technical specifications, standards and procedures related thereto, including technical controls, the purpose of which is to decrease the risk of misuse or alteration of the identity;

(b)

assurance level substantial shall refer to an electronic_identification means in the context of an electronic_identification scheme, which provides a substantial degree of confidence in the claimed or asserted identity of a person, and is characterised with reference to technical specifications, standards and procedures related thereto, including technical controls, the purpose of which is to decrease substantially the risk of misuse or alteration of the identity;

(c)

assurance level high shall refer to an electronic_identification means in the context of an electronic_identification scheme, which provides a higher degree of confidence in the claimed or asserted identity of a person than electronic_identification means with the assurance level substantial, and is characterised with reference to technical specifications, standards and procedures related thereto, including technical controls, the purpose of which is to prevent misuse or alteration of the identity.

3. By 18 September 2015, taking into account relevant international standards and subject to paragraph 2, the Commission shall, by means of implementing acts, set out minimum technical specifications, standards and procedures with reference to which assurance levels low, substantial and high are specified for electronic_identification means for the purposes of paragraph 1.

Those minimum technical specifications, standards and procedures shall be set out by reference to the reliability and quality of the following elements:

(a)	the procedure to prove and verify the identity of natural or legal persons applying for the issuance of electronic_identification means;

(b)	the procedure for the issuance of the requested electronic_identification means;

(c)	the authentication mechanism, through which the natural or legal person uses the electronic_identification means to confirm its identity to a relying_party;

(d)	the entity issuing the electronic_identification means;

(e)	any other body involved in the application for the issuance of the electronic_identification means; and

(f)	the technical and security specifications of the issued electronic_identification means.

Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(2).

Article 11

Liability

1. The notifying Member State shall be liable for damage caused intentionally or negligently to any natural or legal person due to a failure to comply with its obligations under points (d) and (f) of Article 7 in a cross-border transaction.

2. The party issuing the electronic_identification means shall be liable for damage caused intentionally or negligently to any natural or legal person due to a failure to comply with the obligation referred to in point (e) of Article 7 in a cross-border transaction.

3. The party operating the authentication procedure shall be liable for damage caused intentionally or negligently to any natural or legal person due to a failure to ensure the correct operation of the authentication referred to in point (f) of Article 7 in a cross-border transaction.

4. Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall be applied in accordance with national rules on liability.

5. Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 are without prejudice to the liability under national law of parties to a transaction in which electronic_identification means falling under the electronic_identification scheme notified pursuant to Article 9(1) are used.

Article 12

Cooperation and interoperability

1. The national electronic_identification schemes notified pursuant to Article 9(1) shall be interoperable.

2. For the purposes of paragraph 1, an interoperability framework shall be established.

3. The interoperability framework shall meet the following criteria:

(a)	it aims to be technology neutral and does not discriminate between any specific national technical solutions for electronic_identification within a Member State;

(b)	it follows European and international standards, where possible;

(c)	it facilitates the implementation of the principle of privacy by design; and

(d)	it ensures that personal data is processed in accordance with Directive 95/46/EC.

4. The interoperability framework shall consist of:

(a)	a reference to minimum technical requirements related to the assurance levels under Article 8;

(b)	a mapping of national assurance levels of notified electronic_identification schemes to the assurance levels under Article 8;

(c)	a reference to minimum technical requirements for interoperability;

(d)	a reference to a minimum set of person_identification_data uniquely representing a natural or legal person, which is available from electronic_identification schemes;

(e)	rules of procedure;

(f)	arrangements for dispute resolution; and

(g)	common operational security standards.

5. Member States shall cooperate with regard to the following:

(a)	the interoperability of the electronic_identification schemes notified pursuant to Article 9(1) and the electronic_identification schemes which Member States intend to notify; and

(b)	the security of the electronic_identification schemes.

6. The cooperation between Member States shall consist of:

(a)	the exchange of information, experience and good practice as regards electronic_identification schemes and in particular technical requirements related to interoperability and assurance levels;

(b)	the exchange of information, experience and good practice as regards working with assurance levels of electronic_identification schemes under Article 8;

(c)	peer review of electronic_identification schemes falling under this Regulation; and

(d)	examination of relevant developments in the electronic_identification sector.

7. By 18 March 2015, the Commission shall, by means of implementing acts, establish the necessary procedural arrangements to facilitate the cooperation between the Member States referred to in paragraphs 5 and 6 with a view to fostering a high level of trust and security appropriate to the degree of risk.

8. By 18 September 2015, for the purpose of setting uniform conditions for the implementation of the requirement under paragraph 1, the Commission shall, subject to the criteria set out in paragraph 3 and taking into account the results of the cooperation between Member States, adopt implementing acts on the interoperability framework as set out in paragraph 4.

9. The implementing acts referred to in paragraphs 7 and 8 of this Article shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(2).

CHAPTER III

TRUST SERVICES

SECTION 1

General provisions

Article 13

Liability and burden of proof

1. Without prejudice to paragraph 2, trust_service providers shall be liable for damage caused intentionally or negligently to any natural or legal person due to a failure to comply with the obligations under this Regulation.

The burden of proving intention or negligence of a non-qualified trust_service provider shall lie with the natural or legal person claiming the damage referred to in the first subparagraph.

The intention or negligence of a qualified trust_service provider shall be presumed unless that qualified trust_service provider proves that the damage referred to in the first subparagraph occurred without the intention or negligence of that qualified trust_service provider.

2. Where trust_service providers duly inform their customers in advance of the limitations on the use of the services they provide and where those limitations are recognisable to third parties, trust_service providers shall not be liable for damages arising from the use of services exceeding the indicated limitations.

3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be applied in accordance with national rules on liability.

Article 14

International aspects

1. Trust services provided by trust_service providers established in a third country shall be recognised as legally equivalent to qualified trust_services provided by qualified trust_service providers established in the Union where the trust_services originating from the third country are recognised under an agreement concluded between the Union and the third country in question or an international organisation in accordance with Article 218 TFEU.

2. Agreements referred to in paragraph 1 shall ensure, in particular, that:

(a)

the requirements applicable to qualified trust_service providers established in the Union and the qualified trust_services they provide are met by the trust_service providers in the third country or international organisations with which the agreement is concluded, and by the trust_services they provide;

(b)	the qualified trust_services provided by qualified trust_service providers established in the Union are recognised as legally equivalent to trust_services provided by trust_service providers in the third country or international organisation with which the agreement is concluded.

Article 17

Supervisory body

1. Member States shall designate a supervisory body established in their territory or, upon mutual agreement with another Member State, a supervisory body established in that other Member State. That body shall be responsible for supervisory tasks in the designating Member State.

Supervisory bodies shall be given the necessary powers and adequate resources for the exercise of their tasks.

2. Member States shall notify to the Commission the names and the addresses of their respective designated supervisory bodies.

3. The role of the supervisory body shall be the following:

(a)

to supervise qualified trust_service providers established in the territory of the designating Member State to ensure, through ex ante and ex post supervisory activities, that those qualified trust_service providers and the qualified trust_services that they provide meet the requirements laid down in this Regulation;

(b)

to take action if necessary, in relation to non-qualified trust_service providers established in the territory of the designating Member State, through ex post supervisory activities, when informed that those non-qualified trust_service providers or the trust_services they provide allegedly do not meet the requirements laid down in this Regulation.

4. For the purposes of paragraph 3 and subject to the limitations provided therein, the tasks of the supervisory body shall include in particular:

(a)	to cooperate with other supervisory bodies and provide them with assistance in accordance with Article 18;

(b)	to analyse the conformity assessment reports referred to in Articles 20(1) and 21(1);

(c)	to inform other supervisory bodies and the public about breaches of security or loss of integrity in accordance with Article 19(2);

(d)	to report to the Commission about its main activities in accordance with paragraph 6 of this Article;

(e)	to carry out audits or request a conformity_assessment_body to perform a conformity assessment of the qualified trust_service providers in accordance with Article 20(2);

(f)	to cooperate with the data protection authorities, in particular, by informing them without undue delay, about the results of audits of qualified trust_service providers, where personal data protection rules appear to have been breached;

(g)	to grant qualified status to trust_service providers and to the services they provide and to withdraw this status in accordance with Articles 20 and 21;

(h)	to inform the body responsible for the national trusted list referred to in Article 22(3) about its decisions to grant or to withdraw qualified status, unless that body is also the supervisory body;

(i)	to verify the existence and correct application of provisions on termination plans in cases where the qualified trust_service provider ceases its activities, including how information is kept accessible in accordance with point (h) of Article 24(2);

(j)	to require that trust_service providers remedy any failure to fulfil the requirements laid down in this Regulation.

5. Member States may require the supervisory body to establish, maintain and update a trust infrastructure in accordance with the conditions under national law.

6. By 31 March each year, each supervisory body shall submit to the Commission a report on its previous calendar year’s main activities together with a summary of breach notifications received from trust_service providers in accordance with Article 19(2).

7. The Commission shall make the annual report referred to in paragraph 6 available to Member States.

8. The Commission may, by means of implementing acts, define the formats and procedures for the report referred to in paragraph 6. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(2).

Article 18

Mutual assistance

1. Supervisory bodies shall cooperate with a view to exchanging good practice.

A supervisory body shall, upon receipt of a justified request from another supervisory body, provide that body with assistance so that the activities of supervisory bodies can be carried out in a consistent manner. Mutual assistance may cover, in particular, information requests and supervisory measures, such as requests to carry out inspections related to the conformity assessment reports as referred to in Articles 20 and 21.

2. A supervisory body to which a request for assistance is addressed may refuse that request on any of the following grounds:

(a)	the supervisory body is not competent to provide the requested assistance;

(b)	the requested assistance is not proportionate to supervisory activities of the supervisory body carried out in accordance with Article 17;

(c)	providing the requested assistance would be incompatible with this Regulation.

3. Where appropriate, Member States may authorise their respective supervisory bodies to carry out joint investigations in which staff from other Member States’ supervisory bodies is involved. The arrangements and procedures for such joint actions shall be agreed upon and established by the Member States concerned in accordance with their national law.

Article 19

Security requirements applicable to trust_service providers

1. Qualified and non-qualified trust_service providers shall take appropriate technical and organisational measures to manage the risks posed to the security of the trust_services they provide. Having regard to the latest technological developments, those measures shall ensure that the level of security is commensurate to the degree of risk. In particular, measures shall be taken to prevent and minimise the impact of security incidents and inform stakeholders of the adverse effects of any such incidents.

2. Qualified and non-qualified trust_service providers shall, without undue delay but in any event within 24 hours after having become aware of it, notify the supervisory body and, where applicable, other relevant bodies, such as the competent national body for information security or the data protection authority, of any breach of security or loss of integrity that has a significant impact on the trust_service provided or on the personal data maintained therein.

Where the breach of security or loss of integrity is likely to adversely affect a natural or legal person to whom the trusted service has been provided, the trust_service provider shall also notify the natural or legal person of the breach of security or loss of integrity without undue delay.

Where appropriate, in particular if a breach of security or loss of integrity concerns two or more Member States, the notified supervisory body shall inform the supervisory bodies in other Member States concerned and ENISA.

The notified supervisory body shall inform the public or require the trust_service provider to do so, where it determines that disclosure of the breach of security or loss of integrity is in the public interest.

3. The supervisory body shall provide ENISA once a year with a summary of notifications of breach of security and loss of integrity received from trust_service providers.

4. The Commission may, by means of implementing acts,:

(a)	further specify the measures referred to in paragraph 1; and

(b)	define the formats and procedures, including deadlines, applicable for the purpose of paragraph 2.

Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(2).

SECTION 3

Qualified trust_services

Article 22

Trusted lists

1. Each Member State shall establish, maintain and publish trusted lists, including information related to the qualified trust_service providers for which it is responsible, together with information related to the qualified trust_services provided by them.

2. Member States shall establish, maintain and publish, in a secured manner, the electronically signed or sealed trusted lists referred to in paragraph 1 in a form suitable for automated processing.

3. Member States shall notify to the Commission, without undue delay, information on the body responsible for establishing, maintaining and publishing national trusted lists, and details of where such lists are published, the certificates used to sign or seal the trusted lists and any changes thereto.

4. The Commission shall make available to the public, through a secure channel, the information referred to in paragraph 3 in electronically signed or sealed form suitable for automated processing.

5. By 18 September 2015 the Commission shall, by means of implementing acts, specify the information referred to in paragraph 1 and define the technical specifications and formats for trusted lists applicable for the purposes of paragraphs 1 to 4. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(2).

Article 24

Requirements for qualified trust_service providers

1. When issuing a qualified certificate for a trust_service, a qualified trust_service provider shall verify, by appropriate means and in accordance with national law, the identity and, if applicable, any specific attributes of the natural or legal person to whom the qualified certificate is issued.

The information referred to in the first subparagraph shall be verified by the qualified trust_service provider either directly or by relying on a third party in accordance with national law:

(a)	by the physical presence of the natural person or of an authorised representative of the legal person; or

(b)

remotely, using electronic_identification means, for which prior to the issuance of the qualified certificate, a physical presence of the natural person or of an authorised representative of the legal person was ensured and which meets the requirements set out in Article 8 with regard to the assurance levels ‘substantial’ or ‘high’; or

(c)	by means of a certificate of a qualified electronic_signature or of a qualified electronic_seal issued in compliance with point (a) or (b); or

(d)	by using other identification methods recognised at national level which provide equivalent assurance in terms of reliability to physical presence. The equivalent assurance shall be confirmed by a conformity_assessment_body.

2. A qualified trust_service provider providing qualified trust_services shall:

(a)	inform the supervisory body of any change in the provision of its qualified trust_services and an intention to cease those activities;

(b)

employ staff and, if applicable, subcontractors who possess the necessary expertise, reliability, experience, and qualifications and who have received appropriate training regarding security and personal data protection rules and shall apply administrative and management procedures which correspond to European or international standards;

(c)	with regard to the risk of liability for damages in accordance with Article 13, maintain sufficient financial resources and/or obtain appropriate liability insurance, in accordance with national law;

(d)	before entering into a contractual relationship, inform, in a clear and comprehensive manner, any person seeking to use a qualified trust_service of the precise terms and conditions regarding the use of that service, including any limitations on its use;

(e)	use trustworthy systems and products that are protected against modification and ensure the technical security and reliability of the processes supported by them;

(f)

use trustworthy systems to store data provided to it, in a verifiable form so that:

(i)	they are publicly available for retrieval only where the consent of the person to whom the data relates has been obtained,

(ii)	only authorised persons can make entries and changes to the stored data,

(iii)

the data can be checked for authenticity;

(g)	take appropriate measures against forgery and theft of data;

(h)

record and keep accessible for an appropriate period of time, including after the activities of the qualified trust_service provider have ceased, all relevant information concerning data issued and received by the qualified trust_service provider, in particular, for the purpose of providing evidence in legal proceedings and for the purpose of ensuring continuity of the service. Such recording may be done electronically;

(i)	have an up-to-date termination plan to ensure continuity of service in accordance with provisions verified by the supervisory body under point (i) of Article 17(4);

(j)	ensure lawful processing of personal data in accordance with Directive 95/46/EC;

(k)	in case of qualified trust_service providers issuing qualified certificates, establish and keep updated a certificate database.

3. If a qualified trust_service provider issuing qualified certificates decides to revoke a certificate, it shall register such revocation in its certificate database and publish the revocation status of the certificate in a timely manner, and in any event within 24 hours after the receipt of the request. The revocation shall become effective immediately upon its publication.

4. With regard to paragraph 3, qualified trust_service providers issuing qualified certificates shall provide to any relying_party information on the validity or revocation status of qualified certificates issued by them. This information shall be made available at least on a per certificate basis at any time and beyond the validity period of the certificate in an automated manner that is reliable, free of charge and efficient.

5. The Commission may, by means of implementing acts, establish reference numbers of standards for trustworthy systems and products, which comply with the requirements under points (e) and (f) of paragraph 2 of this Article. Compliance with the requirements laid down in this Article shall be presumed where trustworthy systems and products meet those standards. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(2).

SECTION 4

Electronic signatures

Article 28

Qualified certificates for electronic_signatures

1. Qualified certificates for electronic_signatures shall meet the requirements laid down in Annex I.

2. Qualified certificates for electronic_signatures shall not be subject to any mandatory requirement exceeding the requirements laid down in Annex I.

3. Qualified certificates for electronic_signatures may include non-mandatory additional specific attributes. Those attributes shall not affect the interoperability and recognition of qualified electronic_signatures.

4. If a qualified certificate for electronic_signatures has been revoked after initial activation, it shall lose its validity from the moment of its revocation, and its status shall not in any circumstances be reverted.

5. Subject to the following conditions, Member States may lay down national rules on temporary suspension of a qualified certificate for electronic_signature:

(a)	if a qualified certificate for electronic_signature has been temporarily suspended that certificate shall lose its validity for the period of suspension;

(b)	the period of suspension shall be clearly indicated in the certificate database and the suspension status shall be visible, during the period of suspension, from the service providing information on the status of the certificate.

6. The Commission may, by means of implementing acts, establish reference numbers of standards for qualified certificates for electronic_signature. Compliance with the requirements laid down in Annex I shall be presumed where a qualified certificate for electronic_signature meets those standards. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(2).

Article 38

Qualified certificates for electronic_seals

1. Qualified certificates for electronic_seals shall meet the requirements laid down in Annex III.

2. Qualified certificates for electronic_seals shall not be subject to any mandatory requirements exceeding the requirements laid down in Annex III.

3. Qualified certificates for electronic_seals may include non-mandatory additional specific attributes. Those attributes shall not affect the interoperability and recognition of qualified electronic_seals.

4. If a qualified certificate for an electronic_seal has been revoked after initial activation, it shall lose its validity from the moment of its revocation, and its status shall not in any circumstances be reverted.

5. Subject to the following conditions, Member States may lay down national rules on temporary suspension of qualified certificates for electronic_seals:

(a)	if a qualified certificate for electronic_seal has been temporarily suspended, that certificate shall lose its validity for the period of suspension;

(b)	the period of suspension shall be clearly indicated in the certificate database and the suspension status shall be visible, during the period of suspension, from the service providing information on the status of the certificate.

6. The Commission may, by means of implementing acts, establish reference numbers of standards for qualified certificates for electronic_seals. Compliance with the requirements laid down in Annex III shall be presumed where a qualified certificate for electronic_seal meets those standards. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 48(2).

whereas

(9) In most cases, citizens cannot use their electronic_identification to authenticate themselves in another Member State because the national electronic_identification schemes in their country are not recognised in other Member States.
That electronic barrier excludes service providers from enjoying the full benefits of the internal market.
Mutually recognised electronic_identification means will facilitate cross-border provision of numerous services in the internal market and enable businesses to operate on a cross-border basis without facing many obstacles in interactions with public authorities.

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(10) Directive 2011/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (6) set up a network of national authorities responsible for e-health.
To enhance the safety and the continuity of cross-border healthcare, the network is required to produce guidelines on cross-border access to electronic health data and services, including by supporting ‘common identification and authentication measures to facilitate transferability of data in cross-border healthcare’.
Mutual recognition of electronic_identification and authentication is key to making cross-border healthcare for European citizens a reality.
When people travel for treatment, their medical data need to be accessible in the country of treatment.
That requires a solid, safe and trusted electronic_identification framework.

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(13) Member States should remain free to use or to introduce means for the purposes of electronic_identification for accessing online services.
They should also be able to decide whether to involve the private sector in the provision of those means.
Member States should not be obliged to notify their electronic_identification schemes to the Commission.
The choice to notify the Commission of all, some or none of the electronic_identification schemes used at national level to access at least public online services or specific services is up to Member States.

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(14) Some conditions need to be set out in this Regulation with regard to which electronic_identification means have to be recognised and how the electronic_identification schemes should be notified.
Those conditions should help Member States to build the necessary trust in each other’s electronic_identification schemes and to mutually recognise electronic_identification means falling under their notified schemes.
The principle of mutual recognition should apply if the notifying Member State’s electronic_identification scheme meets the conditions of notification and the notification was published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
However, the principle of mutual recognition should only relate to authentication for an online service.
The access to those online services and their final delivery to the applicant should be closely linked to the right to receive such services under the conditions set out in national legislation.

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(16) Assurance levels should characterise the degree of confidence in electronic_identification means in establishing the identity of a person, thus providing assurance that the person claiming a particular identity is in fact the person to which that identity was assigned.
The assurance level depends on the degree of confidence that electronic_identification means provides in claimed or asserted identity of a person taking into account processes (for example, identity proofing and verification, and authentication), management activities (for example, the entity issuing electronic_identification means and the procedure to issue such means) and technical controls implemented.
Various technical definitions and descriptions of assurance levels exist as the result of Union-funded Large-Scale Pilots, standardisation and international activities.
In particular, the Large-Scale Pilot STORK and ISO 29115 refer, inter alia, to levels 2, 3 and 4, which should be taken into utmost account in establishing minimum technical requirements, standards and procedures for the assurances levels low, substantial and high within the meaning of this Regulation, while ensuring consistent application of this Regulation in particular with regard to assurance level high related to identity proofing for issuing qualified certificates.
The requirements established should be technology-neutral.
It should be possible to achieve the necessary security requirements through different technologies.

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(18) This Regulation should provide for the liability of the notifying Member State, the party issuing the electronic_identification means and the party operating the authentication procedure for failure to comply with the relevant obligations under this Regulation.
However, this Regulation should be applied in accordance with national rules on liability.
Therefore, it does not affect those national rules on, for example, definition of damages or relevant applicable procedural rules, including the burden of proof.

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(19) The security of electronic_identification schemes is key to trustworthy cross-border mutual recognition of electronic_identification means.
In this context, Member States should cooperate with regard to the security and interoperability of the electronic_identification schemes at Union level.
Whenever electronic_identification schemes require specific hardware or software to be used by relying parties at the national level, cross-border interoperability calls for those Member States not to impose such requirements and related costs on relying parties established outside of their territory.
In that case appropriate solutions should be discussed and developed within the scope of the interoperability framework.
Nevertheless technical requirements stemming from the inherent specifications of national electronic_identification means and likely to affect the holders of such electronic means (e.g.
smartcards), are unavoidable.

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(21) This Regulation should also establish a general legal framework for the use of trust_services.
However, it should not create a general obligation to use them or to install an access point for all existing trust_services.
In particular, it should not cover the provision of services used exclusively within closed systems between a defined set of participants, which have no effect on third parties.
For example, systems set up in businesses or public administrations to manage internal procedures making use of trust_services should not be subject to the requirements of this Regulation.
Only trust_services provided to the public having effects on third parties should meet the requirements laid down in the Regulation.
Neither should this Regulation cover aspects related to the conclusion and validity of contracts or other legal obligations where there are requirements as regards form laid down by national or Union law.
In addition, it should not affect national form requirements pertaining to public registers, in particular commercial and land registers.

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(22) In order to contribute to their general cross-border use, it should be possible to use trust_services as evidence in legal proceedings in all Member States.
It is for the national law to define the legal effect of trust_services, except if otherwise provided in this Regulation.

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(24) Member States may maintain or introduce national provisions, in conformity with Union law, relating to trust_services as far as those services are not fully harmonised by this Regulation.
However, trust_services that comply with this Regulation should circulate freely in the internal market.

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(25) Member States should remain free to define other types of trust_services in addition to those making part of the closed list of trust_services provided for in this Regulation, for the purpose of recognition at national level as qualified trust_services.

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(33) Provisions on the use of pseudonyms in certificates should not prevent Member States from requiring identification of persons pursuant to Union or national law.

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(37) This Regulation should provide for the liability of all trust_service providers.
In particular, it establishes the liability regime under which all trust_service providers should be liable for damage caused to any natural or legal person due to failure to comply with the obligations under this Regulation.
In order to facilitate the assessment of financial risk that trust_service providers might have to bear or that they should cover by insurance policies, this Regulation allows trust_service providers to set limitations, under certain conditions, on the use of the services they provide and not to be liable for damages arising from the use of services exceeding such limitations.
Customers should be duly informed about the limitations in advance.
Those limitations should be recognisable by a third party, for example by including information about the limitations in the terms and conditions of the service provided or through other recognisable means.
For the purposes of giving effect to those principles, this Regulation should be applied in accordance with national rules on liability.
Therefore, this Regulation does not affect those national rules on, for example, definition of damages, intention, negligence, or relevant applicable procedural rules.

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(44) This Regulation aims to ensure a coherent framework with a view to providing a high level of security and legal certainty of trust_services.
In this regard, when addressing the conformity assessment of products and services, the Commission should, where appropriate, seek synergies with existing relevant European and international schemes such as the Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (9) which sets out the requirements for accreditation of conformity assessment bodies and market surveillance of products.

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(49) This Regulation should establish the principle that an electronic_signature should not be denied legal effect on the grounds that it is in an electronic form or that it does not meet the requirements of the qualified electronic_signature.
However, it is for national law to define the legal effect of electronic_signatures, except for the requirements provided for in this Regulation according to which a qualified electronic_signature should have the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature.

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(54) Cross-border interoperability and recognition of qualified certificates is a precondition for cross-border recognition of qualified electronic_signatures.
Therefore, qualified certificates should not be subject to any mandatory requirements exceeding the requirements laid down in this Regulation.
However, at national level, the inclusion of specific attributes, such as unique identifiers, in qualified certificates should be allowed, provided that such specific attributes do not hamper cross-border interoperability and recognition of qualified certificates and electronic_signatures.

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(55) IT security certification based on international standards such as ISO 15408 and related evaluation methods and mutual recognition arrangements is an important tool for verifying the security of qualified electronic_signature creation devices and should be promoted.
However, innovative solutions and services such as mobile signing and cloud signing rely on technical and organisational solutions for qualified electronic_signature creation devices for which security standards may not yet be available or for which the first IT security certification is ongoing.
The level of security of such qualified electronic_signature creation devices could be evaluated by using alternative processes only where such security standards are not available or where the first IT security certification is ongoing.
Those processes should be comparable to the standards for IT security certification insofar as their security levels are equivalent.
Those processes could be facilitated by a peer review.

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(60) Trust service providers issuing qualified certificates for electronic_seals should implement the necessary measures in order to be able to establish the identity of the natural person representing the legal person to whom the qualified certificate for the electronic_seal is provided, when such identification is necessary at national level in the context of judicial or administrative proceedings.

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(66) It is essential to provide for a legal framework to facilitate cross-border recognition between existing national legal systems related to electronic_registered_delivery_services.
That framework could also open new market opportunities for Union trust_service providers to offer new pan-European electronic_registered_delivery_services.

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(67) Website authentication services provide a means by which a visitor to a website can be assured that there is a genuine and legitimate entity standing behind the website.
Those services contribute to the building of trust and confidence in conducting business online, as users will have confidence in a website that has been authenticated.
The provision and the use of website authentication services are entirely voluntary.
However, in order for website authentication to become a means to boosting trust, providing a better experience for the user and furthering growth in the internal market, this Regulation should lay down minimal security and liability obligations for the providers and their services.
To that end, the results of existing industry-led initiatives, for example the Certification Authorities/Browsers Forum — CA/B Forum, have been taken into account.
In addition, this Regulation should not impede the use of other means or methods to authenticate a website not falling under this Regulation nor should it prevent third country providers of website authentication services from providing their services to customers in the Union.
However, a third country provider should only have its website authentication services recognised as qualified in accordance with this Regulation, if an international agreement between the Union and the country of establishment of the provider has been concluded.

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(72) When adopting delegated or implementing acts, the Commission should take due account of the standards and technical specifications drawn up by European and international standardisation organisations and bodies, in particular the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), with a view to ensuring a high level of security and interoperability of electronic_identification and trust_services.

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keyboard_tab EIDAS 2014/0910 EN

EIDAS 2014/0910 EN