The FIDO Alliance is calling attention to the European Union’s eIDAS regulations with two new white papers that detail the intersection of FIDO2 and eIDAS standards. The white papers were written to show businesses and governments how they can use FIDO authentication technology to develop their own eIDAS solutions.

The EU’s eIDAS standards were introduced in an effort to improve the utility and interoperability of electronic IDs for its member states. Thanks to eIDAS (which stands for Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services), EU members know that eIDs issued by other EU states meet the same standards (and are just as secure) as their own IDs. That, in turn, improves trust and facilitates digital transactions between countries within the Union. 

FIDO2, meanwhile, is an internationally recognized standard for passwordless authentication. Security solutions that meet FIDO2 requirements can also be used to satisfy eIDAS, making them a reliable choice for governments looking to update their identity infrastructure.

“The modern FIDO standard provides a viable framework for expanding and modernizing eIDAS services across Europe,” said Yubico Solutions Architect Sebastian Elfors. “There are a number of emerging deployment scenarios that will benefit the public sector in the European Union. There are already several eID schemes being notified by the EU Commission this year, and more government services are enabling cross-border eID support.”

Elfors was the lead contributor for the two new papers. The first serves as an introduction to FIDO and eIDAS standards, while the second offers more details about how the two can be used together. The FIDO Alliace will also be hosting a webinar for those interested in eIDAS and FIDO2. The webinar will take place on May 28 at 15:00 CEST, and will be hosted by Elfors and FIDO Alliance Executive Director and CMO Andrew Shikiar.

The FIDO Alliance originally scheduled its inaugural Authenticate conference for early June, but the event has been pushed back until November due to COVID-19. The Financial Action Task Force placed a strong emphasis on FIDO authentication standards in its latest Guidance on Digital Identity.