scope:

Directive 1999/93/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 1999 on a community framework for electronic signatures [Dir.1999/93/EC] - referred to as the Directive in the remainder of this document - established a legal framework for electronic signatures and certification-services in order to contribute to their legal recognition. It is laid down in article 5.1 that electronic signatures fulfilling certain quality metrics - so called qualified electronic signatures - satisfy the requirements of handwritten signatures. In article 5.2 a residual provision is given where general electronic signatures are not denied legal effectiveness and admissibility as evidence in legal proceedings, even if the quality metrics of qualified electronic signatures are not met.