The European Electronic Signature Directive was introduced by
the European Commission to ensure that electronic signatures (every
kind of electronic authentication attached to, or logically
associated with other electronic data) should be able to have the
same legal validity as a hand-written signature.
This could include biometric authentication, Message
Authentication Codes (MAC), public key authentication schemes and
even the typed name at the end of an e-mail. The resulting
“qualified” electronic signature needs to be based on a certificate
that meets specific requirements and has to be generated with a
secure signature-creation device.
The meeting has been organised by the European forum for
electronic business, known as EEMA, a non-profit organisation
formed in 1987 to provide a neutral platform for e-commerce and
business. Among the issues to be examined at the meeting is the
task of identifying the likely practical consequences for the use
of electronic signatures in Europe.
“With any European directive, it is only the objectives that are
binding, and not the way these objectives are achieved” said Jos
Dumortier, the Chair of EEMA’s legal work group and professor at
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. “Consequently, each Member
State is implementing the European Electronic Signatures Directive
in different ways, and therefore, the interpretations of certain
provisions of the Directive are divergent to say the least” he
continued.
“It is already apparent that there will be various systems of
supervision and accreditation within each country which will have a
direct impact on certification authorities (CAs), certification
service providers (CSPs), regulatory/supervisory authorities (RAs),
vendors of public key infrastructure (PKI) products and legal
bodies amongst others, and it is also clear from what we have seen
so far, that each European country is working to a different
timescale for implementing the Directive into their national law.
The objective of the meeting is to compare the differing
timescales, interpretations and implications of the Directive, so
we can understand and clarify the impact on the various affected
parties.” he concluded.
EEMA will be using the information gained from the meeting to
brief European Regulatory/Supervisory Authorities on the
implications for them on 1st October in Milan, Italy. Any
interested RA/SA can attend this free briefing session. More
information can be obtained by contacting EEMA at info@eema.org.
