> Electronic Identification is in use in all of EU's 28 Member States;

> Several european countries already provide eID smart cards (or other systems) that support digital certificates that can be used for eSignature purposes;

> Many EU countries already have a Certification Authority that can provide digital certificates at a national level;

> The management costs for a Certification Authority may be prohibitive for small and medium companies;

> The use of eID smart cards facilitates integration with other services dedicated to citizens, companies or other organizations;

> Other european initiatives as well as legislative efforts are currently taking place to promote and create standardized common regulation on eSignature and eIdentification, transversal to all member states.

– The STORK project aims to establish a European eID Interoperability Platform that will allow citizens to establish new e-relations across borders with their national eID.

– The European eGovernment Action Plan aims at optimising the conditions for the development of cross-border eGovernment services provided to citizens and businesses regardless of their country of origin.

Portuguese eID

Assinare already ensures signature services over the Portuguese eID national card - Citizen Card.
The certificate of the Portuguese entity for electronic certification is signed by a globally trusted authority (GTE CyberTrust Global Root or Baltimore CyberTrust Root), common to all operative systems.