EIMIN will be responsible for the service areas of electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions
The Ministry of Economy and Innovation will be responsible for the areas of electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions. This consolidation will allow for a more coherent design, implementation and control of the functions in these areas, to ensure a smoother functioning of the electronic identification market in the country. This decision was approved by the Seimas.
‘This is an important decision for the country, for businesses and for citizens. It will allow the market for electronic identification to develop faster and offer more services online. We will pave the way for Lithuania’s further progress by creating a digital state and making use of all new, reliable and secure technologies’, said Aušrinė Armonaitė, Minister of Economy and Innovation.
Until now, the areas of electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions have been separated, and their legal regulation has been carried out by two bodies – the Ministry of Transport and Communications, responsible for the policy on trust services, and the Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for the policy on electronic identification. The consolidation of policymaking in these areas will ensure an effective and coherent regulatory framework for electronic identification and trust services.
Eglė Markevičiūtė, Vice-Minister of Economy and Innovation: ‘The consolidation will facilitate centralised and coherent processes of not only the management of the state information resources and the development of the information society, but also the formulation and implementation of the policy on electronic identification and reliability of services’.
Two bodies will be responsible for the implementation of the e-ID policy: the Regulatory Authority for Communications (Ryšių Reguliavimo Tarnyba – RRT) will be responsible for the supervision of providers of qualified e-ID services, and the Information Society Development Committee (Informacinės visuomenės plėtros komitetas – IVPK) will be responsible for the supervision of the e-ID node (as from 31 December 2024). During the transition period, this supervision will be continued by the Department of Informatics and Communications.
The eIDAS Regulations, adopted in 2016 when it entered into force in EU countries, is currently being updated and defines the concepts of electronic signature and other trust services, and the procedures for the provision of these services in EU countries. This updated Regulation will ensure uniform conditions for the provision and recognition of qualified trust services in the EU.
Given the importance of this Regulation, the consolidation of the policy on electronic identification and trust services within the Ministry of Economy and Innovation will enable the preparation of a national roll-out of new, reliable and secure technologies that respond to market demand and user expectations.
Electronic identification is the process of using electronic personal identification data to identify a specific natural or legal person. Personal identity data includes biometric data (e.g. fingerprint, iris or voice recognition).
Electronic transaction trust is the ability to use a trust service (qualified electronic signature, electronic seal, electronic time stamp and other innovative digital solutions) to ensure the identification of a person in the digital space.
According to a survey commissioned by the RRT, by the end of 2021 almost one-third (29%) of the Lithuanian population was using a qualified electronic signature, and the use of such a signature has increased almost fivefold over the last seven years.
Last updated: 15-05-2023
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