Starmer's ID card plan has caused upset, but in the EU the debate has long been settled

"On the continent, the debate currently raging in the UK over national ID cards has long been settled. Across Europe, physical identity cards have existed for decades, and digital versions have either already been successfully launched or are being trialled. In all bar two of the EU's 27 member states, physical ID cards, in a standard, machine-readable EU format introduced in 2021, serve both as identity documents in citizens' home countries, and for travel within the passport-free Schengen zone."

"The size of a credit card, they display the holder's name, address, nationality, date and place of birth, sex and height, as well as a photo and the card's issue and expiry dates. A secure chip also stores data including the photo and fingerprints. The two exceptions are Denmark, which issues physical ID cards locally, and Ireland but along with all other EU member states, both those countries have already either launched, or are developing, a form of digital ID wallet."

Physical identity cards are used across almost all EU member states in a standard machine-readable EU format introduced in 2021, and function as domestic IDs and for Schengen travel. Fifteen countries require citizens to have an ID, while eleven make them voluntary; Denmark and Ireland are exceptions with local arrangements. Cards contain personal data and a secure chip storing photos and fingerprints. The EU's eIDAS 2.0 will require offering at least one digital ID wallet to every citizen by 2026, enabling secure storage, sharing and signing of official digital documents. Denmark's MitID app is already essential for many online services.

Read at www.theguardian.com