EESSI AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE E-SIGS DIRECTIVE IN THE UK

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EESSI AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE E-SIGS
DIRECTIVE IN THE UK

• Geoff Smith, UK Dept of Trade and Industry
• Chris Binns, tScheme

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- Assess the EESSI Standards setting work
and- Report on the implementation of the
voluntary accreditation and supervision aspects
of theDirective
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Essentials of UK implementationa) legal
admissibility of all electronic signaturesb)
voluntary accreditation of CSPs (and more !)
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Voluntary accreditation

• Powers taken to run a Government Scheme (but we
  would really prefer not to !)
• co-regulatory approach best meets the needs of
  business and Government
• Enter tScheme !

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The United Kingdoms approachtowards avoluntary
accreditation scheme
TSPs
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How does EESSI fit in ?

• What is their value in the context of the UK
  accreditation scheme ?
• What is their value for non-accredited CSPs ?
• What can the Article 9 Committee do ?

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tScheme
EESSI
Service Management Provision
Systems Processes
Products Devices /Formats Protocols
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As for non-accredited CSPs..They can do what
they like !
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The Article 9 Committee

• Is limited to the terms of the Directive
• Can reference generally recognised standards
  for ECSDs - but when do they become generally
  recognised ?
• Can clarify the Annexes

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Supervision in the UK - this site is under
development

• Who will we supervise ?
• Why will we supervise ?
• How will we supervise and what do we do when we
  find non-compliance ?

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Possible elements of supervision in the UK

• Initially, monitor the development of the market
• An appropriate type of registration process - but
  not prior authorisation !
• Investigation and, if necessary sanctions. Will
  de-registration be enough ?

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Conclusions

• EESSI relevant and welcome
• Output will be used in the UK where it adds value
  - but other standards can be used
• Do not expect the Member States to do too much
  collectively
• Are we moving too fast ?