Article 5fCross-border reliance on European Digital Identity Wallets

1. Where Member States require electronic identification and authentication to access an online service provided by a public sector body, they shall also accept European Digital Identity Wallets that are provided in accordance with this Regulation.

2. Where private relying parties that provide services, with the exception of microenterprises and small enterprises as defined in Article 2 of the Annex to Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC ( 5 ), are required by Union or national law to use strong user authentication for online identification or where strong user authentication for online identification is required by contractual obligation, including in the areas of transport, energy, banking, financial services, social security, health, drinking water, postal services, digital infrastructure, education or telecommunications, those private relying parties shall, no later than 36 months from the date of entry into force of the implementing acts referred to in Article 5a(23) and Article 5c(6) and only upon the voluntary request of the user, also accept European Digital Identity Wallets that are provided in accordance with this Regulation.

3. Where providers of very large online platforms as referred to in Article 33 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 6 ) require user authentication for access to online services, they shall also accept and facilitate the use of European Digital Identity Wallets that are provided in accordance with this Regulation for user authentication only upon the voluntary request of the user and in respect of the minimum data necessary for the specific online service for which authentication is requested.

4. In cooperation with Member States, the Commission shall facilitate the development of codes of conduct in close collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, including civil society, in order to contribute to the wide availability and usability of European Digital Identity Wallets within the scope of this Regulation, and to encourage service providers to complete the development of codes of conduct.

5. Within 24 months after deployment of the European Digital Identity Wallets, the Commission shall assess the demand for, and the availability and usability of, European Digital Identity Wallets, taking into account criteria such as user take-up, cross-border presence of service providers, technological developments, evolution in usage patterns and consumer demand.