The European Commission proposes new rules to ensure people and businesses can use their own national electronic identification schemes (e-IDs) to access public services in other EU countries where e-IDs are available. In particular, the proposal's objectives are to enable cross-border electronic signatures and to get more value out of electronic identification in Digital Single Market.

The European Commission proposes a new Regulation to enable cross-border electronic signatures. In addition, the aim of this proposal is to create an internal market for e-Signatures and related online trust services across borders, by ensuring these services will work across borders and have the same legal status as traditional paper based processes. The Commission made this proposal after launching a consultation in February 2011 on this subject.

On the other hand, key beneficiaries of the various aspects of the Regulation will include according to the Commission, students who could register for a foreign university online, rather than having to travel abroad to complete the paper work in person; citizens arranging a move to another EU country or a marriage abroad or filing multiple tax returns; patients needing medical assistance abroad could securely check or authorise a doctor to access their online medical records; companies could tender online for public sector contracts anywhere in the EU and/or people wanting to do business in another EU country could set up a company through the Internet and submit annual reports online, with ease; governments could reduce administrative burdens and increase efficiency, better serving their citizens and saving taxpayers' money.

The Commission intends with this proposal among other things, give full effect to the major potential savings of eProcurement. The Commission also stressed that the proposal fully respects both existing national ID systems and the preferences of those Member States without national ID schemes. It allows countries with e-ID to opt-in or to remain outside of the European scheme. Once a Member State notifies that they wish to join the pan-European scheme, they must offer the same access to public services via e-ID that they offer to their own citizens.