Riga, 17 April 2020 - Latvia has become the second country from the Nordic and Baltic States Group, whose national electronic identification means can also be used by citizens to receive cross-border e-services in other European Union (EU) Member States. Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Estonia and Lithuania have become the first countries to provide technically the possibility of receiving e-services via Latvian eID via their portals.
In order to improve the efficiency of public and private online services and e-commerce at EU level, the European Electronic Identification and Reliability Services (eIDAS) Regulation* has been adopted. The regulation requires EU Member States to adopt, in accordance with a specific procedure, electronic identification means notified by other Member States within a period of 12 months, which would be valid for public e-service purposes in the same way as national electronic identification means.
At the end of 2019, the European Commission published a national electronic identification scheme announced by Latvia, which includes eParaksta tools: eID card, eParaksts mobile and eParaksta card. With the publication of the Latvian Electronic Identification Scheme, a transitional period has started, during which EU Member States must ensure that their authorities and organisations have integrated the possibility of confirming their identity with the eID products announced by Latvia. m. A number of EU countries – Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Estonia, Lithuania – have already started to recognise the Latvian scheme, thus far exceeding the timetable set out in the eIDAS regulation. . This means that Latvian citizens have access to cross-border electronic services in their national portal with their eID card. s. Citizens will also be able to receive the services of economic operators in these countries, who need identity assurance at the highest level. Although a limited range of services is currently available, this option will allow for electronic communication with public service providers and cross-border e-services in other EU Member States.
Already at European level, Latvia is one of the leaders in the field of e-services, providing its citizens free of charge with a digital toolkit – eID card (which includes electronic identification and eParaksta), eParaksts mobile and eParaksta card, as well as an official electronic address (e-address). eID card, eParaksts mobile and eParaksta card it is the only available identity assurance tools in Latvia that have received this level of accreditation, and Latvia has become the first and only EU Member State, which has developed an e-Identity Certificate tool that is the only fully mobile solution and independent of other data carriers.
According to information from the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre, demand for eID card and eParaksta has increased sharply in March this year. . Compared to the previous year, the use of the eID card nearly doubled in March, reaching 231 thousand times. U. More than 700 e-services are available to citizens on the Latvija.lv portal, and a large part of them can be fully reported and received electronically without the need to go to the office.
* eIDAS Regulation - Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market.
Other information:
Public Relations Department
Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development
Tel. 20200305; 67026533,
e-mail: prese@varam.gov.lv
www.varam.gov.lv