Collection of regulations, norms, standards, and references to legal acts and studies concerning the Qualified Electronic Signature and Electronic Seal.

February 2024

Qualified Electronic Signature

Regulations and legal acts that equate the use of the Qualified Electronic Signature with a handwritten signature and enable its wide use with legal effects include:

• 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 and repealing Directive 1999/93/EC (eIDAS)

Remarque : Les liens suivants pour les versions polonaise et anglaise contiennent également des documents dans d'autres langues des membres de l'Union Européenne. 

• • English : eur-lex.eurupa.eu/en

• • Polish :   eur-lex.eurupa.eu/pl

• The Act of 5 September 2016 on trust services and electronic identification.

  English :

  • Trust Service Providers (www.gov.ie)

  • What is the eIDAS Regulation? (Obserwatotoum.biz)

  • Sign o’ the times (lawsociety.ie)

  • Number 14 of 2014 PROTECTED DISCLOSURES ACT 2014 REVISED Updated to 5 September 2016 (lawreform.ie)

  • S.I. No. 490/2016 - Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (Disclosure to Prescribed Persons) Order 2016. (irishstatuebook.ie)

          Polish :

• • Dz.U. 2016 poz. 1579 isap.sejm.gov.pl (polish statue book)

• Dziennik Ustaw (Polish Journal of Laws, Polish statue book)

• Rozporządzenie eIDAS. Co to jest i od kiedy funkcjonuje w Polsce? (Obserwatorium.biz)

• Regulations of the Minister for Digital Affairs of 5 October 2016 on the national trust infrastructure.

• English (Irl) : gov.ie - en
• Polish : isap.sejm.gov.pl - pl

• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1505 of 8 September 2015 establishing technical specifications and formats relating to trusted lists.

               English (Irl): Eur-lex.europa.eu - en - en

• • Polish: Eur-lex.europa.eu - pl - pl

• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1506 of 8 September 2015 establishing specifications relating to formats of advanced electronic signatures and advanced electronic seals to be recognized by public sector bodies.

                 English (Irl):  Eur-lex.europa.eu -en - en

• • Polish: Eur-lex.europa.eu - pl- pl

Formats of Qualified Electronic Signatures

Standards & Spezification

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-building-blocks/sites/display/DIGITAL/Standards+and+specifications

• PAdES (PDF Advanced Electronic Signature)
  

  • Current PadES Standards (eIDAS) with previous standards (2015/1506/EU)

    • ETSI EN 319 142 PDF Advanced Electronic Signature Profiles (PAdES)

• XAdES (XML Advanced Electronic Signature)
  

  • • ETSI EN 319 132 XML Advanced Electronic Signatures (XAdES)

      Current XadES Standards (eIDAS) with previous standards (2015/1506/EU)

• CAdES (CMS Advanced Electronic Signature)
  

  • • Current CadES Standards (eIDAS) with previous standards (2015/1506/EU)

    • ETSI EN 319 122 CMS Advanced Electronic Signatures (CAdES)

• ASiC (Associated Signature Containers)
  

  • Current CadES Standards (eIDAS) with previous standards (2015/1506/EU)

  • ETSI EN 319 162-1

  • ETSI EN 319 162-2 (2016-04) part 2

    This summary provides an overview of key regulations and formats related to the implementation and recognition of Qualified Electronic Signatures and Electronic Seals within the EU and Ireland, reflecting their legal significance and technical specifications.

Cryptographic Algorithms Used

• ETSI TS 119 312 V1.4.3(August 2023)

• Electronic Signatures and Infrastructures (ESI); Policy and security requirements for trust service providers providing long-term preservation of digital signatures or general data using digital signature techniques
• https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_ts/119500_119599/119511/01.01.01_60/ts_119511v010101p.pdf

Specifies the cryptographic algorithms that are supported for use in trust services, including those for generating and validating Qualified Electronic Signatures and Electronic Seals.

Qualified Certificate Profiles

• ETSI EN 319 412-1 V1.5.1 (September 2023) - Overview and Common Data Structures

• ETSI EN 319 412-2 V2.3.1 (September 2023) - Certificate Profile for Certificates Issued to Natural Persons

• Details the specific profile for certificates issued to individuals.

• ETSI EN 319 412-3 V1.3.1 (September 2023) - Certificate Profile for Certificates Issued to Legal Persons

• Specifies the certificate profile for entities such as companies and organizations.

• ETSI EN 319 412-4 V1.3.1 (September 2023) - Certificate Profile for Web Site Certificates

• Outlines the profile for certificates used in the authentication of websites.

• ETSI EN 319 412-5 V2.4.1(September 2023) - QCStatements

• Provides specifications for statements included in Qualified Certificates.

Trusted Lists (TSLs)

• TSLs (Trusted Service Lists) provide a mechanism to trust electronic services across the EU by listing certified service providers and their services. These lists are crucial for the eIDAS framework, enabling cross-border recognition of electronic identification and trust services.

• EU / EEA

  An interactive tool for accessing and browsing the Trusted Service Lists of EU Member States.

• eIDAS Dashboard for TSL - IE

• eIDAS Dashboard - pl for TSL - PL

• TSL Definitions for EU Member States:

  https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_ts/119600_119699/119612/02.02.01_60/ts_119612v020201p.pdf

  The official EU List of the Lists, consolidating TSLs from all member states, ensuring interoperability and trust across the EU for electronic transactions.

     These standards, profiles, and lists form the backbone of secure electronic transactions within the EU, providing the legal and technical framework for trusted digital interactions between individuals, businesses, and public authorities.

Updated: 15-03-2024 (tbc)