Flemish government secures free access to Itsme digital ID app
Flemish government agencies, local authorities and schools will no longer have to pay extra to use the Itsme digital identification app.
Launched in 2017 by Belgian Mobile ID, Itsme was developed by a consortium of four major Belgian banks - Belfius, BNP Paribas Fortis, ING and KBC - and three telecommunications companies: Orange Belgium, Proximus and Telenet. It allows Belgian citizens to verify their identity when interacting with government services, banks, insurance companies and other private companies.
While Itsme is free for citizens, public and private partners pay a fee to use it. Until now, Flemish municipalities, government services and schools that wanted to use Itme were also subject to these fees. This will change under the new agreement between the Flemish government and Belgian Mobile ID.
No restrictions
The agreement, which runs until 2029, ensures that all Flemish and local government bodies, as well as schools, can access Itsme's services without restrictions or costs. The costs will be covered by Digitaal Vlaanderen, the Flemish government's digitalisation agency. An expenditure ceiling has been set, although the exact threshold has not been disclosed.
The new agreement also allows these institutions to offer citizens the option of signing documents digitally, including permits, certificates, school regulations and reports. Digital signatures provided through Itsme will have the same legal validity as traditional handwritten signatures.
This is the second major digitalisation initiative by the Flemish government in recent days. Last week, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, minister president Matthias Diependaele signed an agreement with Microsoft to implement the AI-powered assistant Copilot. Around 10,000 public sector employees at Flemish and local level will be able to use it.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO THIERRY ROGE
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