Standardization Initiatives

In response to the demand for the standardization of electronic signatures in Europe, the European ICT Standards Board, with the support of the European Commission, has been supporting an initiative that brings together the industry and public authorities under the European Electronic Signature Standardization Initiative (EESSI). EESSI seeks to identify under a common approach the needs for standardization activities in support of the requirements of Directive 99/93/EC on electronic signatures, and to monitor the implementation of the work program.

An important part of the work of EESSI has been tackled with the support of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), which has also been a forerunner in the standardization of signature policies. Further standardization efforts and industry interaction are required, however, to ensure the applicability and interoperability of signature policies in PKI-based transactions. Signature policies currently have a high level of formal recognition within the present standardization scheme, while they may also offer an opportunity to present unilateral contractual terms in transactions that further specify such standards.