The Danish eID case: twenty years of delay

The focus of this article is to explain why there is still no qualified digitalsignature in Denmark as defined by the EU eSignatures Directive nor any othernationwide eID even though Denmark had an early start in eGovernment, and a highlevel of “e-readiness” compared to other nations. Laying out the technological, organizational and legal dimensions of eID in Denmark, and comparing these with anumber of other European countries made it possible to explain this paradox. Thus, the three main reasons for the special route development has taken in Denmarkseems to be concerns over privacy, lack of intergovernmental coordination and lackof cooperation between public and private sector. However, with the recent tender ondigital signatures won by the PBS and the roll-out of the NemID it seems thatDenmark will finally—after twenty years of delay—have an eID which can bewidely used in the public as well as the private sector