Brussels, 2026 — The European Union has taken a significant step toward deploying the European Digital Identity by launching a public consultation and strengthening its cooperation with the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). The joint effort aims to establish a common cybersecurity framework that will ensure digital identity wallets are secure, interoperable, and ready for adoption across all Member States before the end of 2026.
This initiative is part of the implementation of the updated eIDAS 2 regulation, which seeks to provide citizens and businesses with a trusted, standardized way to identify themselves and access public and private services throughout the EU. According to the European Commission, aligning technical and security requirements is essential to building confidence in the system and enabling its widespread use.
Open Consultation and Coordinated Work
The public consultation invites contributions from national administrations, technology providers, financial institutions, consumer organizations, and cybersecurity experts. Their input will help define the minimum requirements that digital identity wallets must meet.
At the same time, ENISA is developing a unified certification scheme that will set consistent and verifiable security standards. This framework will cover areas such as data protection, authentication mechanisms, credential management, resilience against cyberattacks, and cross-border interoperability.
A Trusted and Practical Digital Identity for All Europeans
The Commission highlights that the success of the European Digital Identity depends on its usability and the trust it inspires. The digital wallet is expected to support a wide range of applications, including:
- Access to public services in any EU country
- Cross-border electronic signatures
- Management of academic and professional credentials
- Identification for financial and healthcare services
- Age or identity verification with minimal data disclosure
Next Steps
Once the consultation period concludes, the Commission and ENISA will integrate the feedback into the final certification scheme. Member States will then need to adapt their national solutions to ensure full interoperability ahead of the official rollout planned for 2026.
With this progress, the EU reinforces its commitment to a secure, user‑centric, and harmonized digital identity framework, positioning itself as a global reference in digital trust and cybersecurity.
