EIDAS 2014/0910 EN

With a view to ensuring the proper functioning of the internal market while aiming at an adequate level of security of electronic_identification means and trust_services this Regulation:

(a)	lays down the conditions under which Member States recognise electronic_identification means of natural and legal persons falling under a notified electronic_identification scheme of another Member State;

(b)	lays down rules for trust_services, in particular for electronic transactions; and

(c)	establishes a legal framework for electronic_signatures, electronic_seals, electronic_time_stamps, electronic_documents, electronic_registered_delivery_services and certificate services for website authentication.

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 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 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 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).

Article 47

Exercise of the delegation

1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.

2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 30(4) shall be conferred on the Commission for an indeterminate period of time from 17 September 2014.

3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 30(4) may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.

4. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.

5. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 30(4) shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.

whereas

(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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(35) All trust_service providers should be subject to the requirements of this Regulation, in particular those on security and liability to ensure due diligence, transparency and accountability of their operations and services.
However, taking into account the type of services provided by trust_service providers, it is appropriate to distinguish as far as those requirements are concerned between qualified and non-qualified trust_service providers.

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(36) Establishing a supervisory regime for all trust_service providers should ensure a level playing field for the security and accountability of their operations and services, thus contributing to the protection of users and to the functioning of the internal market.
Non-qualified trust_service providers should be subject to a light touch and reactive ex post supervisory activities justified by the nature of their services and operations.
The supervisory body should therefore have no general obligation to supervise non-qualified service providers.
The supervisory body should only take action when it is informed (for example, by the non-qualified trust_service provider itself, by another supervisory body, by a notification from a user or a business partner or on the basis of its own investigation) that a non-qualified trust_service provider does not comply with the requirements of this Regulation.

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(42) To facilitate the supervision of qualified trust_service providers, for example, when a provider is providing its services in the territory of another Member State and is not subject to supervision there, or when the computers of a provider are located in the territory of a Member State other than the one where it is established, a mutual assistance system between supervisory bodies in the Member States should be established.

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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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keyboard_tab EIDAS 2014/0910 EN

EIDAS 2014/0910 EN