Germany's new digital signature law went into effect on 22 May,
making the country one of the first in the European Union to
implement regulations giving electronic signatures the same legal
weight as handwritten ones.
The law brings Germany in line with a European Commission directive
on digital signatures, which was passed on 13 December 1999. Member
states are expected to comply with the directive by the deadline in
July 2001.
From now on, transactions between a partner in Germany and another
anywhere in the EU can be sealed by means of so-called
e-signatures, Germany's Ministry for Economics and Technology said
in a statement. Lawmakers plan to quickly modify existing
regulations to bring them in line with the new law.
The new law regulates the "security infrastructure", setting
minimum standards which e-signature technology must meet on the
part of the entity that offers the e-signature technology. The
ability to conclude legally-binding contracts via the Internet is
expected to give an important boost to electronic commerce in
Europe.