eIDAS is a European Union (EU) regulation focused on enhancing trust in electronic transactions between citizens, businesses and public authorities cross-borders. A major component of the regulation was the creation of a common framework for secure electronic signatures, including standardized assurance levels, to facilitate
interoperability and acceptance across EU and European Economic Area (EEA) member states.
eIDAS Electronic Signature Definitions and Classes
Under eIDAS, an electronic signature cannot be denied legal effect and admissibility just because it is electronic. However, the regulation acknowledges that, depending on
the technology and validation behind the signature, some types of signatures are inherently more trustworthy than others and withstand higher legal scrutiny. That is,
they are more reliably linked to the person signing the document, can protect the integrity of the document and, at the highest level, can carry the same legal effect as a
handwritten signature.